Ancient Chinese official system

Author: Wang Tianyou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-01-01
Features: To study ancient Chinese official system, one must first understand the concepts of "official" and "official system." The term "official" as a whole has two meanings. One is that it refers to the place where power resides, i.e., the official office. This is the original meaning of the word "official." From this original meaning, it is extended to "manage," and further to "officials." It can be seen that the scope of the ancient term "official" was broader than that of the modern term, encompassing both officials and official offices. The other meaning is that it refers to serving the monarch. The Shuowen Jiezi explains: "Official, officials serve the monarch." This explanation summarizes the nature of an official, i.e., a person who is subordinate to the monarch and handles affairs for the monarch. As for the concept of the official system, there are different interpretations. One interpretation is that the official system is the system of establishing officials and offices by dynastic rulers. Another interpretation is that the official system should also include the selection, appointment, transfer, assessment, rewards, punishments, and retirement of officials. In reality, the establishment of officials and offices and the management system of officials had clear boundaries in ancient times. The Tables of Officials and Nobles, Biographies of Officials, Biographies of Officials and Titles, and Biographies of Official Positions in the Twenty-Four Histories discuss the former, while the Biographies of Elections discuss the latter. The concept of the official system used in this book belongs to the former interpretation, referring to the system of establishing officials and offices in each dynasty, which is the structure of the ancient state under the control of the monarch.