Chinese mile

noun

A li, a traditional Chinese unit of distance equal to 1500 Chinese feet or 150 zhangs, now standardized as a half-kilometer (500 meters).

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Meanings

nounChinese mile (plural Chinese miles)

plural Chinese miles

  1. A li, a traditional Chinese unit of distance equal to 1500 Chinese feet or 150 zhangs, now standardized as a half-kilometer (500 meters).

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
li

Origin

By analogy with the similar Roman mile and English mile, although the li was somewhat shorter.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Chinese mile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20mile

MLA

“Chinese mile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20mile. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Chinese mile,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Chinese%20mile.

Source: Chinese mile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.