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Other measures and limits of time.The popular measures of time are also similar to those employed by the Malays, Javanese etc.
Sikléb mata, a moment (a blink of the eyes).
Chèh ranub sigapu, the time required for chewing a quid of sirih, about 5 minutes.
Masaʾ bu sikay breuëh the time required for cooking a kay (cocoanut shell-full) of rice, about half an hour.
Masaʾ bu sigantang[1] breuëh, the time required for cooking a gantang of rice, about an hour and a half.
Masaʾ bu sinaléh breuëh, the time required for cooking a naléh of rice, about 3 hours.
Sikhan uròë, half a day, about 6 hours.
Siʾ uròë seupōt, lit. = "a sun dark”, a whole day[2].
To distinguish "to-day" (uròë nyòë) from the days which precede and follow it, the following expressions are in use[3].
Beuklam, the previous evening, which according to the Achehnese conception is the evening of the present day; it thus answers to our "yesterday evening".
Baròë, yesterday (daytime only).
Baròë sa, the day before yesterday, lit. "yesterday one".
- ↑ A gantang is now no longer used as a measure of capacity in Acheh; where a gantang is spoken of 2 arè is meant.
The measures of capacity are as follows:
Nië or ndië = ½ blakay Blakay (from blah kay, a division of a kay) = ½ kay Kay (orig. meaning cocoanut shell) = ½ chupaʾ Chupaʾ (containing unhusked rice to the weight of 24 Spanish dollars) = ½ arè Arè (called "a bamboo,"" in Malay) = 116th naléh Naléh = 110th kuncha Guncha = 110th kuyan The ndië is seldom mentioned except in conjunction with si = 1, as sindië (or sundië). Half a ndië is sometimes spoken of as put.
(The common Malay measures used in the Straits Settlements are the chupak, 4 of which = 1 gantang (about 1¼ gallons): 16 gantang = 1 naléh; 10 naléhs = 1 kuncha; 5 kunchas = 1 koyan. Translator).
- ↑ There are equivalent expressions in Malay; saʾ buntar (lit. a little round thing), saʾ kejap (a blink of the eyes) and saʾat (Arabic) are also used to denote a momentary period of time, and the expression sěmpat makan rokoʾ sa-batang, the time required for smoking a cigarette, is also in common use. (Translator).
- ↑ In Malay saʾ malam = yesterday; kelmarin ("the preceding day") is used sometimes for yesterday and sometimes for the day before; and kelmarin dahulu = the day before that again, 3 days since. Esok or besok = to-morrow, lusa the day after to-morrow, and tulat 3 days hence. (Translator).
