ever-normal granary; rice reserve system
Historical term for a government granary system in pre-modern East Asia, especially China and Japan, used to stabilize rice prices by buying in surplus years and selling in lean years.
The ever-normal granary was a food reserve system that began in ancient China.
The concept of the ever-normal granary was also adopted in Edo-period Japan.
From Chinese 常平倉 (chángpíngcāng), literally 'ever-level granary'. The term was adopted into Japanese with the same meaning.