picul

American  

[pik-uhl] / ˈpɪk əl /

noun

1. (in China and Southeast Asia) a weight equal to 100 catties, or from about 133 to about 143 pounds avoirdupois (60–64 kilograms).

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picul British  

/ ˈpɪkəl /

noun

1. a unit of weight, used in China, Japan, and SE Asia, equal to approximately 60 kilograms or 133 pounds

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Etymology

Origin of picul

First recorded in 1580–90; from Malay pikull, the term for the maximum load that a man using a shoulder yoke can carry

Example Sentences

One cartload of the enemy’s provisions is equivalent to twenty of one’s own, and likewise a single picul of his provender is equivalent to twenty from one’s own store.

From Forbes

The British barque Chilo got ashore outside, and has parted amidships; about 100 piculs copper cash have been saved from her cargo.

From Project Gutenberg

The price of this manure varies with the quality from one dollar to three dollars the picul.

From Project Gutenberg

Consequently the poor savage has to supply six piculs of almaciga.

From Project Gutenberg

Bulungan has more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, few of whom have ever paid a picul of rice or kilo of coffee as tax to the crown.

From Project Gutenberg