汉书货殖传。黍十大斗。师古曰。大斗者。异于量米粟之斗也。是汉时已有大斗。但用之量粗货耳。
唐六典。凡度以北方 黍中者。一黍之广为分。十分为寸。十寸为尺。一尺二寸为大尺。十尺为丈。凡
量以 黍中者。容一千二百黍为龠。二龠为合。十合为升。十升为斗。三斗为大斗。十斗为斛。凡权衡
以黍中者。百黍之重为铢。应劭曰。十黍为HT 。十HT 为铢。二十四铢为两。三两为大两。十六两为斤。
凡积 黍为度量权衡者。调钟律。测晷景。合汤药。及冠冕之制则用之。内外官司。悉用大者。按唐时
权量。是古今大小并行。太史太常太医用古。（因太史有度数分抄晷漏时刻。太常有乐律分寸。太医
有刀圭分两升合。故皆从古。）他有司皆用今。久则其今者通行而古者废矣。杜氏通典载诸郡土贡。
上党郡贡人参三百小两。高平郡贡白石英五十小两。济阳郡贡阿胶二百小斤。鹿角胶三十小斤。临封郡贡石
斛十小斤。南陵郡贡石斛十小斤。同陵郡贡石斛二十小斤。此则贡物中亦有用小斤小两者。然皆汤药之用。
宋沈括笔谈云。予受诏考钟律。及铸浑仪。求秦汉以来度量。计六斗。当今之一斗七升九合。秤三斤。
当今之十三两。是宋时权量。又大于唐也。
元史言至元二十年。颁行宋文思院小口斛。又言世祖取江南。命输米者。止用宋斗斛。以宋一石。当今七斗故也。
是则元之斗斛。又大于宋也。
《汉书·货殖传》记载：“黍米十大斗。”颜师古注释说：“大斗，是指不同于计量米粟所用的标准斗。”这说明汉代已经存在大斗，但仅用于称量粗重货物。
《唐六典》规定：凡是长度以北方中等大小的黍粒为准，一个黍粒的宽度为一分，十分为一寸，十寸为一尺，一尺二寸为大尺，十尺为一丈。凡是容量以中等黍粒为准，容纳一千二百个黍粒为一龠，两龠为一合，十合为一升，十升为一斗，三斗为大斗，十斗为一斛。凡是重量以中等黍粒为准，一百个黍粒的重量为一铢。应劭说：“十个黍粒重为一累（HT），十个累重为一铢，二十四铢为一两，三两为大两，十六两为一斤。”凡是积累黍粒来制定度量衡标准的，是为了调和钟律、测量日影、配制汤药以及制作冠冕制度等使用。朝廷内外各官府，都统一使用大斗和大两。按唐代的情况来看，当时是古今大小制并行，太史局、太常寺和太医署沿用古制。（因为太史局需要精确的度数、分秒、晷漏时刻；太常寺需要乐律的分寸；太医署需要刀圭、分两、升合的精确度，所以都遵循古制。）其他官府则使用当时的现行制。久而久之，现行的制度通行开来，而古制就被废弃了。杜佑的《通典》记载各郡进贡土特产的情况：上党郡进贡人参三百小两，高平郡进贡白石英五十小两，济阳郡进贡阿胶二百小斤，鹿角胶三十小斤，临封郡进贡石斛十小斤，南陵郡进贡石斛十小斤，同陵郡进贡石斛二十小斤。这说明在贡品中也使用了小斤和小两，但这都是用于汤药的配伍。
宋代沈括在《笔谈》中说：“我受诏考察钟律，并铸造浑仪，查找秦汉以来的度量衡标准，计算得出：六斗相当于现在的一斗七升九合；秤三斤相当于现在的十三两。”这说明宋代的权量又比唐代的大。
《元史》记载，至元二十年，颁行宋代文思院的小口斛。又记载世祖攻取江南时，命令输送米粮者，只使用宋代的斗斛，因为宋代的一石相当于现在的七斗。由此可见，元代的斗斛又比宋代的大。
The "Biographies of Money-makers" in the *Book of Han* records: "Ten large dou of millet." Yan Shigu commented: "Large dou refers to a unit different from the standard dou used for measuring rice and millet." This indicates that during the Han Dynasty, large dou already existed but were used only for weighing bulk goods.
The *Tang Liudian* (Six Codes of Tang) stipulates: For length measurement, it is based on medium-sized millet grains from the north; the width of one millet grain constitutes one fen; ten fen make one cun; ten cun make one chi; one chi and two cun constitute a large chi; ten chi make one zhang. For volume measurement, also based on medium millet grains: one thousand two hundred millet grains fill one yue; two yue make one ge; ten ge make one sheng; ten sheng make one dou; three dou constitute a large dou; ten dou make one hu. For weight measurement, again based on medium millet grains: the weight of one hundred millet grains equals one zhu. Ying Shao stated: "Ten millet grains weigh one lei (HT); ten lei weigh one zhu; twenty-four zhu equal one liang; three liang constitute a large liang; sixteen liang make one jin." The accumulation of millet grains to establish standards of length, volume, and weight was employed for tuning bell rhythms, measuring sundial shadows, compounding herbal decoctions, and determining the specifications of crowns and hats. All internal and external government offices uniformly adopted the larger units. According to the situation in the Tang Dynasty, both ancient (smaller) and contemporary (larger) systems coexisted. The Directorate of Astronomy (Taishi), the Court of Imperial Sacrifices (Taichang), and the Imperial Medical Bureau (Taiyi) adhered to the ancient system. (This was because the Directorate of Astronomy required precise degrees, minutes, seconds, and water-clock measurements; the Court of Imperial Sacrifices needed musical pitch divisions; and the Imperial Medical Bureau required precise measurements such as daogui, fen, liang, sheng, and ge for medical purposes.) Other government departments used the contemporary system. Over time, the contemporary system became prevalent, while the ancient system fell into disuse. Du You's *Tongdian* records the local tributes from various commanderies: Shangdang Commandery offered three hundred small liang of ginseng; Gaoping Commandery offered fifty small liang of white quartz; Jiyang Commandery offered two hundred small jin of donkey-hide gelatin; thirty small jin of deer antler gelatin; Linfeng Commandery offered ten small jin of Dendrobium; Nanling Commandery offered ten small jin of Dendrobium; Tongling Commandery offered twenty small jin of Dendrobium. This shows that small jin and small liang were indeed used in tribute items, but exclusively for medicinal preparations.
Shen Kuo in his *Brush Talks* (*Bitan*) of the Song Dynasty wrote: "I received an edict to examine bell rhythms and cast armillary spheres, searching for measurement standards since the Qin and Han dynasties. Calculations showed that six dou equaled one dou, seven sheng, and nine ge in the current era; and three jin weighed equivalent to thirteen liang today." This indicates that the weights and measures of the Song Dynasty were larger than those of the Tang Dynasty.
The *History of Yuan* states that in the 20th year of Zhiyuan, the small-mouth hu of the Song Dynasty's Wensi Workshop was promulgated. It also records that when Emperor Shizu conquered Jiangnan, he ordered that rice transporters use only Song Dynasty dou and hu, because one Shi of the Song Dynasty equaled seven dou of the current era. Thus, the dou and hu of the Yuan Dynasty were larger than those of the Song Dynasty.