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天平尺 (てんぴょうじゃく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

天てん平ぴょう尺じゃく

Meanings

1

noun

Tenpyō shaku (approx. 29.6 cm)

archaic

Archaic unit of length used in the Nara period, based on the Tang dynasty shaku. Not in modern use.

天てん平ぴょう尺じゃくは奈な良ら時じ代だいに用もちいられた長ながさの単たん位いである。
The Tenpyō shaku is a unit of length used in the Nara period.

Kanji

天heavens, sky, imperial
平even, flat, peace
尺shaku, Japanese foot, measure

Similar words

尺しゃく
Modern shaku (approx. 30.3 cm), still used in traditional contexts, while 天平尺 is an archaic variant.

Etymology

From 天平 (Tenpyō, a Nara-period era name) + 尺 (shaku, a unit of length). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it refers to a Tang-dynasty-influenced shaku used during that era.