1. Temperature Conversion
Upon arriving in the U.S., you might find it freezing outside, yet the temperature reading seems quite high. Upon closer inspection, you realize it is not the Celsius (℃) commonly used in China, but Fahrenheit (°F). The formula for converting Fahrenheit to Celsius is:
Celsius = 5/9(F-32) approximately equal to (F-32)/1.8
Where F is the Fahrenheit temperature value.
2. Currency Conversion
In fact, currency conversion should be the first thing you need to understand. Most people will exchange some U.S. dollars in China before leaving, so you need to know the exchange rate. Furthermore, even if you do not exchange dollars in China, if you use a dual-currency credit card in the U.S., you still need to know the actual price of goods; otherwise, you might overspend. Having this concept allows you to compare product prices between China and the U.S., such as buying items that are expensive in China but relatively cheaper here. Additionally, because the English pronunciation of "dollar" sounds somewhat like the Chinese word "dao" (knife), students often use "dao" as a unit for U.S. dollars. For example, a 2-dollar item is sometimes simply referred to as "2 dao."
1 U.S. dollar is approximately equal to 6.83~6.85 RMB (current exchange rate).
The exchange rate that was maintained for a long time previously was 1 U.S. dollar approximately equal to 8 RMB.
3. Weight Conversion
You cannot always eat out at restaurants unless you are very wealthy. Here, there are not many Chinese restaurants, and the prices are quite expensive for me, so it is better to cook for yourself than to eat out. If you are not very wealthy, you will need to go to the supermarket to buy vegetables and meat to cook. Once you get to the supermarket, you might be confused: why are most units "lb"? "lb" stands for "pound." You need to know how much weight you are buying for your money; therefore, the conversion between "pounds" and the "kilograms" and "jin" used in China is as follows:
1 pound = 0.4535924 kilograms, approximately equal to 0.45 kilograms (or 450 grams).
1 pound is approximately equal to 0.909 jin, approximately equal to 0.9 jin.
Additionally, there is another weight unit in the U.S. called the "ounce," abbreviated as "oz." Of course, I consider this unit relatively complex and do not use it often, as it is divided into two types: one is the Avoirdupois system, approximately equal to 28.3495 grams; the other is the Apothecary or Troy system, equal to 31.1034768 grams. I won't go into further detail.
4. Volume Conversion
Sometimes you need to buy liquid products at the supermarket. Furthermore, it is difficult to live in the U.S. without a car, including for shopping and visiting malls, unless public transportation is truly well-developed where you are. When you go to a gas station to refuel, you will encounter a unit you are unfamiliar with: "gal," rather than the "litre/liter" commonly used in China. Although gas prices have dropped a bit recently, they have still risen compared to the first half of the year, so you need to know how many "dao" one gallon of gasoline will cost you. "gal" is the abbreviation for "gallon." However, the "gallon" unit is divided into Imperial gallons and U.S. gallons. Of course, if you are in the U.S., it is definitely the U.S. gallon.
1 U.S. gallon = 3.785011355034 liters, approximately equal to 3.785 liters.
1 Imperial gallon = 4.545454545454 liters, approximately equal to 4.545 liters.
5. Length Conversion
When driving, you can check the distance; when exercising on a treadmill, you can check how far you have run—these are all concepts of length. In the U.S., many length units are different from those in China. First, let's talk about a common unit: "mile." A mile is a U.S. unit of length, often translated into Chinese as "mai" based on its pronunciation. There is a difference between a mile and the "kilometer (km)" used in China.
1 mile is approximately equal to 1.61 km.
The second length unit to mention is "foot (FT)." "Foot" means "yingchi," and "feet" is its plural form.
1 meter is approximately equal to 3.281 feet.
Although these are minor facts, new immigrants should still pay attention to them, as you will only realize how important they are when you need to use them. I hope the above article is helpful to everyone.
