Author: Shi Yuchun
When it comes to the titles in the ancient Chinese officialdom, everyone is most familiar with the word "adult".
The word "adult", an early written record, is found in the Zhou Yi and Mencius.
In "Zhou Yi", "Qian" has: "Ninety-two: See the dragon in the field, see the lord." ”
Like this, there are also in the "Zhou Yi", which are not listed here.
The word "adult" in the Zhou Yi refers to a high-ranking venerable person.
In addition, in Mencius, Teng Wen Gongshang Yun:
"However, the rule of the world is cultivatable and with? There are things for adults, there are things for villains. ”
According to Mencius, the word "adult" should refer to "the laborer", that is, the person who "governs".
Later, in the first year of his reign (386 AD to 409 AD), emperor Tuoba Jue of the Northern Wei Dynasty appointed changsun Song as the southern lord and his uncle Puluo as the northern lord.
See Book of Wei, vol. 2, "Emperor Ji 2, Taizu Ji": "In the spring of the first year of the dengguo dynasty, the emperor assumed the throne, Jiaotian, Jianyuan, and the assembly was held in Niuchuan. Fu has the eldest grandson Song as the southern lord and the uncle Puluo as the northern adult. ”
At this time, "Lord" was still the name of the official of the Northern Wei court.
In the Tang Dynasty, the Uighurs (also known as uighurs) were the ancestors of the Uyghur people, an ethnic minority tribe in China. The chief Luo Dagan led his people to meet Guo Ziyi, and there was an "adult" Yunyun when he descended.
See Old Book of Tang, vol. 195, "Liechuan No. 145 Hui hui": "When the first headquarters came to Japan, the two wizards came, and Yun: 'This trip is very stable, but it does not fight with the Tang family soldiers and horses, and when you see a big man, you will return.'" ’”
Here, the "adult" in the mouth of Hui Hui is already somewhat close to the "adult" called in the official arena of later generations.
So, in history, what is the title in the official arena?
In the "Record of The Records of the Ming Dynasty" written by the Ming Dynasty writer and historian Wang Yi [yǎn] Zhou (i.e., Shi Zhen), there is a description of the titles of the Ming Dynasty officialdom, which reads:
"The title of the Kyoshi is the Greatest Gentleman, from the Cabinet to the Nine Secretaries of State."
Wang Shizhen wrote that it was a title in the official field of the Ming Dynasty.com.
That is to say, in the official arena at that time, the most respected person was called "old gentleman".
This method of appellation is common from the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty to the nine secretaries of state.
Here it should be noted:
In the cabinet, there are extremely respected people; among the nine secretaries of state, there are also extremely respected people.
Although the rank of the position seems to be a yardstick for judging whether someone is respected or disrespected in the eyes of snobbery, in fair and just thinking, personality is the highest criterion for respect.
Wang Shizhen and Yun:
"The two divisions, from Fang Bo to You Xian, called Mr. Futai Yue, and said that Mr. Zhiyuan was known as Mr. Lord, and although his language was indecent, he had been inheriting it for a long time. For twenty years, all the guards of Xuanda and the armaments directly subordinate to Wunan have been called by the old gentleman. ”
To find information, the original text of this paragraph reads:
"The Second Division, from Fang Bo to You Xian, is called Mr. Futai And Mr. Futai, and mr. According to the hospital, he is known as Mr. Lord. Although its language is not elegant, it has been passed down for a long time. For twenty years, all the patrols of Xuanda and the armaments directly subordinate to Wunan have been called by the old gentleman. ”
The relevant terms need to be explained as follows:
Two Divisions: It is the combined name of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Political Envoy Department and the Sentencing Envoy Department.
Fang Bo: Another name for envoys in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Yu Xian: The best name of the Imperial History of Yu Du.
Futai: That is, Inspector Fu, one of the local military and political officials of the Ming and Qing dynasties, also known as Futai.
According to the courtyard: another name for the Ming Dynasty patrol according to the imperial history.
This passage says:
Among the officials of the Department of Envoys and the Department of Punishment, from the envoys to the imperial history of the capital, the title of inspector is "old gentleman"; for the title of inspector of the imperial history, it is "Mr. Sir". The title of "Sir" is not elegant in the eyes of the Ming people. However, in the official arena, because it has been inherited for a long time, although it is not elegant, it is not a concern.
Wang Shizhen also said:
For twenty years, Xuanda (a collective name for Xuanfu and Datong in the Ming Dynasty, belonged to two of the nine major towns. Shou Patrol (the ming Dynasty was in the south, directly subordinate to the central six provinces of the province and the area directly subordinate to the prefecture. All of them referred to the inspector Yushi as "Old Mr." This is one of the few cases that need to be specifically pointed out.
According to Wang Shizhen's records, it seems inferred that before the fall of the Ming Dynasty, there was no single practice in the official arena to use the word "adult" as a title.
During the Manchu Qing Dynasty, when civil and military officials met, the imperial court stipulated that there was a strict system, which can be referred to the "Ceremony of the Great Qing Dynasty" volume 34 "Ceremony of ceremonies and ceremonies of the Qing Officials.
In the "Canon of the Great Qing Dynasty", the etiquette and etiquette when officials meet are defined in detail, but there is no explicit title for officials when they meet.
Pu Liuxian (i.e., Pu Songling) of the Qing Dynasty, in his "Liaozhai Zhiyi Xia Xue", commented on the title of the Officialdom of the Qing Dynasty:
"The History of The Strange... That is, in the more than forty years of Kangxi, the title is not ancient, and it is even ridiculous. He is called a grandfather in the past twenty years; a jinshi is called a master, which begins in thirty years; and the division and the academy are called the great masters, starting in twenty-five years. In the past, the great orders of the Gurudwara were not stopped by the old man; now this is called a long time. ”
The article "Summer Snow", which is extremely ironic, is recorded here and can be used for a wow.
On the sixth day of the first month of July in dinghai year, there was heavy snow in Suzhou. The people were horrified and prayed together in the temple of the kings. The great king said to the people: "Whoever is called the lord now adds a big word; he who regards my God as small, can not eliminate a big word?" The crowd was horrified, shouting "Big Lord", and the snow stopped. From this point of view, God is also pleased, and it is advisable for those who rule the lower parts to get more and more.
The article "Summer Snow" can be said in the vernacular as follows:
On the sixth day of the first month of July in Ding Hai's year, it snowed heavily in Suzhou. The people were so frightened that they went to the Temple of the Great King to pray together. The great king suddenly attached himself to a man and began to speak: "Whoever is called now has the word 'big' added in front of him; is it because I, a god, am I too small to bear a 'big' word?" The crowd was horrified and hurriedly shouted, "Big Lord! As a result, the snow stopped immediately. From this point of view, God also likes to be flattered. No wonder there are many cars in front of the official's door!
According to Pu Songling, in the forty years of the Kangxi Dynasty (1661-1722 AD) of qing shengzu (Ai Xin Jue Luo Xuan Ye), the title no longer has the simple and simple style of the ancients, and it is also very ridiculous.
Beginning in the 20th year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1681 AD), he was known as "Ye".
Beginning in the 30th year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1691 AD), jinshi were called "laoye".
Beginning in the twenty-fifth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1686 AD), the chief of the department was called the "Great Lord".
The author of the "Records of the Banana Xuan" and the Qing Dynasty Fang Junshi (1830-1889 AD) went to the Seven Star Rock to play when he was touring Lingxi. On that day, he rested in the Water Moon Zen Forest.
The Water Moon Zen Forest was founded by Ming Chongzhen (Ming Sizong Zhu Youjian, 1628-1644 AD) during the liangguang governor Xiong Wencankai. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Shi Lin, the governor of Liangguang, added and expanded. Here is a statue of Shi Lin.
According to Master Fang Jun, in the Water Moon Zen Forest, in front of Shi Lin's statue, there is a table with tributes. There is an iron incense burner in front of the table. The incense burner is engraved with text. The text reads as follows:
"The two Cantonese soldiers cast a pair of incense burners, and respectfully ordered the Governor of the Two Guangdong Ministry, Shi Changsheng, to be enshrined forever. Great Qing Kangxi, Years of Gengchen, Midwinter Jijian. Foshan Longsheng furnace. ”
The year of Gengchen is the thirty-ninth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1700 AD), and the text calling Shi Lin "Great Lord" here is consistent with the title of "Great Lord" stated in Pu Songling's "Liaozhai Zhiyi", which begins in the twenty-fifth year of Kangxi (1686 AD).
According to Fang Junshi's speculation, the six ministries of the civil officials, the big and small Jiuqing, the Hanlin Yuan attendants above, the Zhan Shifu Zanshan above, the foreign officials among the governors, Fu, Fan, Zhen, Yun, and Dao; the military officials in the capital, deputy capital, mouth and foreign ministers, as well as the green camp admirals, general soldiers, etc., these officials were called "lords", which must have been after Emperor Shizong of the Qing Dynasty (Ai Xin Jue Luo Yin Chan) Yongzheng (1722 ~1735 AD).
The basis for Fang Junshi's assertion is:
Mei Wen Mu Gong (also known as Mei Yancheng, 1682 AD ~ 1764 AD) has:
"In kangxi, neither the envoy nor the overseer is called an adult."
As for the titles of "Zhongtang" and "General", they have a long history and still feel quite elegant.
During the period of Qing Renzong (Ai Xin Jue Luo, Yuanyan), Jiaqing (1796 ~ 1820 AD), Qing Xuanzong (Ai Xin Jue Luo Min Ning) Daoguang (1820 ~ 1850 AD), the atmosphere of the provinces has quietly changed compared with before, but in terms of titles, it is still generally inseparable from its ancestors:
The government and the department are called the governor, the fu, the division, and the tao, and are all "adults";
The governor, fujia gong taibao, and gong shaobao are all called "gongbao".
Of course, there are special cases, Yuzhuang Yigong (i.e. Ta ta la Yutai, 1788 ~ 1851 AD) during the governorship of Huguang, the Prince of Jin Taifu, all called him "Gongfu". In addition, Yang Fang, the Marquis of Guoyong of the First Rank (1770 AD ~ 1846 AD), was in a similar situation to Yu Tai.
Others, such as Cao Wenzheng (i.e., Cao Zhenyong, 1755 AD ~ 1835 AD) and Pan Wengong (i.e. Pan Shien, 1769 AD ~ 1854 AD), although they were added to the Taifu before their deaths, in terms of title, they were only called "Zhongtang" and followed behind him.
When Fang Junshi was a court official in the Beijing Division, Jia Zhentang (i.e., Jia Zhen, 1798 AD to 1874 AD), Zhou Zhitai (i.e., Zhou Zupei, 1793 AD to 1867 AD), Rui Zhisheng (i.e., Shi Erdete Rui chang, date of birth unknown to 1872 AD), Wen Bochuan (i.e., Guarjia Wenxiang, 1818 AD to 1876 AD), Bao Peiyu (i.e. Suo Qiuluo Bao, 1807 AD ~ 1891 AD) and other people, all had gong, and they were all only called "Lord Nakado".
Later, at the beginning of the war, the military was prosperous, the secretary of state, the governor and other prime ministers and military officials, and the ordinary members of the army were honored as "grand marshals".
Such a title seems to be above "adult" again.
Previously, the officials who were called "big masters" changed due to the changes in the world's customs, and later, they became called "adults". Therefore, he transferred the prefect to be called "The Great Lord". Later, those who were colleagues with the prefect were also called "Grand Lords" like the prefects. The rank of Zhizhou is cong wupin, also known as "grand master".
For Zhi County, it is only called "Taiye".
The miscellaneous duties of The Two Are collectively referred to as "Lords".
Later, in the era in which Fang Junshi lived, it was all different again.
At this time, the prefects were added to the titles of second and third grades, so almost everyone in the prefect was an "adult".
Zhixian also has the title of four pins and five pins, so almost everyone in Zhixian is a "big boss".
From this, thinking of Wang Shizhen's comments on titles, there were once words such as "slanderous and redundant, and obscene to the eyes of the people", is this not the real situation?
Most of the above is the case of the chief.
In addition, the self-designations of the subordinate officers of the chief also have different and different variations.
Among the subordinate officials, the Jingguan called themselves "Si Yuan", "Zhang Jing", "Pen Style Thesis" and other names. Only cabinet officials, using the title of teacher and student. In the Gongmu, subordinate officials called themselves "Attendants" and "Zhongshu". When he saw the middle hall, he called himself a "late student". When Zhongshu, Shushu, Waiter, and Cabinet Bachelor meet, they are all equal titles.
The three divisions of foreign officials [In the Ming Dynasty, each province set up a capital division (都命令司), a cloth administration department (undertaking the proclamation of political envoys), and a division according to the cha division (according to the investigation and envoy division), which were divided into military, civil affairs, and justice, collectively known as the three divisions. ] is a subordinate official who calls himself "Si Li" (公牍) and "Hon si").
The subordinate officials of each province call themselves "vocational paths" (later called "Daoli", which is a trespass).
The subordinate officials of each province call themselves "Lowly Provinces".
Subordinate officials who know the following refer to themselves as "inferior officials" (salt transport division Yuntong, also known as "lowly officials").
All subordinate officials who meet their chiefs for the first time, as well as those who have been promoted and transferred by subordinate officials, must submit their resumes to the chiefs. The division and the provincial officials shall be submitted by the inspector on their behalf; below the prefectural level, they shall be handed over in person. When submitting the resume, you must wear a python suit.
In the Qing Dynasty, the python robe was called "python robe" and was officially designated as an official uniform. Below the emperor, more than seven military attaches, all can serve the python, the python number nine to five, according to the grade is the difference (see "Qing History Draft · Chronicle of Public Opinion II).
Fang Junshi once saw a letter observed by Eun Pu An and his brother-in-law:
"When the Daoist first arrived in the province, he prayed to the Yuanxian and, for example, on the three days of the yamen, all of them were made up for the python robes. On the second and third days, if there is a person who asks for a broad python robe, he will obey the edict and go away, and only wear a supplementary service. ”
This was the last year of Jiaqing and the beginning of Daoguang, and later, there was none.
In the more than two hundred years of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, there was not much change in the submission of resumes.
In addition, between officials of equal rank, such as the inspector and the governor, if the other party has the title of duke or orphan, he calls himself "god brother"; if he was once a subordinate official of the other party, he uses the "old genus" to refer to himself.
If they are university scholars and governors, those of the same rank must call themselves "late students".
Another example is the level officials of each province and the two divisions, who call themselves "god brothers".
Tongzhi and Tongjue called themselves "late students" in front of the prefect, and called the prefect "Tang Weng" or "Tang Tai".
According to the "Canon", the chief officials of the division and the dao, when they visited the prefect, they needed to use the late birth sticker, and later they all used the hand version, because the prefect had to send the prefect to appoint them. States and counties see the same knowledge and general judgment, which was previously used by hand. After the donation of funds to the official began, the price of the same knowledge and the general judgment bizhi prefecture and the price of the county was lower, so the zhizhou and the zhixian also regarded the same knowledge and the general judgment as the same level, and when they returned to each other, they could hold a business card.
The title of the officialdom, or so, was the case before Emperor Muzong of Qing (Zong'ai Shin Kyora Zaichun) Andeji (1862 AD ~ 1875 AD).
This article is mainly based on the section "Official Titles" in volume 12 of the Qing Dynasty Fang Junshi's "Records of The Records of The Banana Xuan".
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