Uses the modern mainland China value. Regional or historical values may differ.
1 modern sheng = 1 liter = 1,000 milliliters = 4.227 US cups.
3 sheng of water = 3 L = about 12.68 US cups.
| Sheng | Sheng | Liters | Milliliters | US cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 升 | 1 升 | 1 L | 1,000 ml | 4.227 cups |
| 2 升 | 2 升 | 2 L | 2,000 ml | 8.454 cups |
| 3 升 | 3 升 | 3 L | 3,000 ml | 12.68 cups |
| 5 升 | 5 升 | 5 L | 5,000 ml | 21.134 cups |
| 10 升 | 10 升 | 10 L | 10,000 ml | 42.268 cups |
The character 升 is also the standard Chinese word for liter.
For modern recipes, sheng and liter are interchangeable.
Older capacity units may not equal the modern liter.
Volume units such as sheng and dou can appear in older food, grain or market contexts. Use modern values for quick reading and check the source when the material is historical.
Use this page as a quick lookup, then keep the original Chinese unit beside the converted number when accuracy matters. That is especially important for pricing, schoolwork, land records, shipping documents, recipes, medicine, historical writing or any source where the unit may be part of a larger standard.
For the broader table and source caveats, read the Chinese units conversion chart.