Also 6 lii, 9 le(e. [Chinese.] The ordinary Chinese itinerary measure (see quot. 1886).
1588. Parke, trans. Mendoza’s Hist. China, I. vi. 12. The Chino’s haue amongst them, but only three kind of measures: the which in their language are called Lii, Pu, and Icham, which is as much as to say, or in effect, as a forlong, league, or iorney.
1827. H. E. Lloyd, trans. Timkowski’s Trav., I. 65. The Chinese li contains two hundred and eighty-five Russian fathoms.
1884. Isabelle Williamson, Old Highw. China, 209. At a small town forty li from Peking we spent the night.
1886. Yule & Burnell, s.v. Lee, According to Mr. Giles, 274/5 li = 10 miles…. From several concurrent statements we may conclude that often the li is generalised so that a certain number of li, generally 100, stand for a day’s march.
