More about Suo3 (索)
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This is all about 索, explanation, usage and definitions taken from a
dictionary and questions added for further clarification.[ Not that
square brackets indicate translation and interpretation.]
◎ 索 suǒ
〈量〉[meaning measures or amounts]
(1) 古时民间计量单位,十丈为一索 [Old measuring unit 索 is ten 丈; each 丈 = ten feet
or 3.33 meters in length. By this definition in Kangxi dictionary, 索
equals a hundred feet (10 times ten-feet) or 33.3 meters.]
(2) 古用绳计量长度,因以为计量单位。如:种粟千百索 [ancient practice using rope as basic unit
to measure length of distance in the field, example like planting
hundred-thousand ropes of grain.]
(3) 计算钱币的单位。古代以绳索穿铜钱,每千文为一索,或称一贯。如:受贿三千索.[Money counting basic unit
was ‘string of coins’ in olden time. (绳索) ropes pierce through copper
coins. A thousand coins equal one 索. 索 (Sou) is also called gian 贯.
Example like accepting a bribe of three thousand 索].
That is how I understand 索 as in terms of measures. But 索 has many
other meaning and interpretation and application. There is much more
to it yet.
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However, according to Pan Zhiheng of Ming, “索以貫錢，百文為索”. That is
different significantly from the meaning in Kamgxi dictionary. [索為貫錢，千文
為索] is more accurate interpretation for (3) above. 百文為索 and 千文為索
differ by ten times.
Why the discrepancy? Is it because
(a) Standard of money counting unit changed between Ming and Qing?
(b) “String of 1000 cash” would be unrealistically long reaching 4
feet?
(c) “String of 100 cash” would be a reasonable length at about 5
inches long?
(d) 索為貫錢 applied in a wrong place? 索 has many meanings. Pan like
others before him took it as 貫錢 ‘string of cash’, by associating a
rope and a bunch of coin-like round objects without square holes? Or
somebody did?
(e) What if those coin-like round objects were not money? In fact, Pan
described the 1-Cash “like ‘diagram of the taiji”. Has there been
money with that symbol?
By the way, has anybody seen a drawing of Ma Diao Cash card as
described by Pan? Did anybody read about the Zero-Cash card and its
reason for being part of the deck and what it means?
I just read today in Illustrated Book of Mahjong Museum page 36, lower
left corner, a card has the marking (in Chinese writing) that says
“Empty Void of Money” and the card next to the right has the marking
(also in Chinese writing)“Half-Unit of Money”. The deck of 40 cards is
called Shui-huo Ti Pai published in 1641 according to the Book.
It is interesting to note that both decks have the equivalent of “Zero
Cash” and “Half-Cash”
Shui-huo Pai does not have names for its suits which are identified
only by money denominations range from 1 to millions. Ma Diao has
names for three suits which could do without denominations. It looks
as though people of Kunshan and Pan Zhjheng followed trends of their
time and added changes to the game rules and cash denominations to the
suits in Ma Diao.
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Why did Ma Diao need its denominations of money in addition to the
names of the three suits? The ranking if needed is easy to determine
for the 3 suits just by their names. Where did the names of the three
suits come from in the first place? Many questions are here. Give
whatever answers you have or ask more questions.
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Cheers.....