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Chinese Culture--Ancient Chinese Official Rank System
There are two types of official positions in ancient Chinese official system: one has actual administrative functions, and the other Class represents the taste of bureaucrats. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the forms and origins of taste grades and the number and categories of taste officials in the past dynasties are complex and vary from time to time. Every subtle change can reflect relevant political changes. Analyzing the reasons can reveal the ancient Chinese political system. some important features.
The titles of bureaucrats in Qin and Han Dynasties were quite simple, and most of them were just one official. Titles like "Da Sima, Grand General in Charge of the Secretariat" are very rare. But it was different after the Han Dynasty. The titles of bureaucrats overlapped, such as "envoys, ministers, ministers, governors of the south, Xu, Yanbei, Xunan, Yanqing, and the six states of Hebei, military generals, hussars, generals, Kaifu, Yitong, three divisions, Lu Shangshu, Shinan" The governor of Xuzhou, Jingling, was the founding father of the country. He sent Chijiete to serve as a minister in the Taiwei Gongshangshu Order, the governor Ji Ding, Cang Ying, You Yin, and Si Yunshuo. The military generals of the ten states, the general of hussars, Zuo Guanglu, the doctor of Kaifu, merged with the three divisions. Sifen Daxingtai servants led the six states and nine (large) chiefs, the governors, scattered cavalry, constant attendants, censors, lieutenants, and the left and right consorts, captains, captains, and founding fathers of Nanzhao County." Bureaucratic titles such as "the founding father of Nanzhao County" are dazzling.
Even if the officials after the Wei and Jin Dynasties were more capable than those in the Qin and Han Dynasties, it was still difficult to manage more than ten positions at the same time. In fact, these piles of official titles have different properties and do not necessarily correspond to a job. Many of them are just used to add glory, increase qualifications and confer benefits. For example, "Shizhong" and "Sanqi Changshi" are plus numbers. Those who add them can wear Diaoer cicada, which makes them look more impressive. "Special Advancement" is also an additional title, so that during the court meeting, the class can advance to the level below Sangong. If you add "Kaifu Yitong Sansi", you can open a government office, appoint subordinates, and enjoy the same etiquette as the three officials. "General Hussars" is not a military position but a military rank. The term "military rank" is just because it is called a military title. Civil servants also often use "General So-and-so" to indicate rank. The casual official "Dr. Zuo Guanglu" was used to mark the civil official rank, and could also be obtained in the Northern Dynasties with military positions. In addition, the above titles also include concurrent titles, titles, etc. At this time, the achievements of bureaucrats may not exceed those of Qin and Han Dynasties, but the official titles they can boast about are colorful and dazzling.
From this point of view, there were at least two types of official positions in the ancient Chinese job structure: one type was responsible for actual administrative functions such as military punishment, inspection and selection, etc., and the other type was mainly used to arrange bureaucrats Good or bad taste belongs to the "tasteful job category". The rights and responsibilities of the latter type of official title are sometimes just in name, but they have a tasteful significance that cannot be ignored: they are used to increase prestige, bestow treatment, confirm grade, and provide starting official positions or transfer ladders, and provide candidates. , store talents or arrange redundant positions. Many of the long list of official titles mentioned above are of this type. Of course, between functional and tasteful official positions, there are also a large number of officials who have both functions and strong taste.
The further development of tasteful official positions led to the formation of a scattered hierarchy, which was particularly prominent in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Take the Tang system as an example. At that time, the civil and military ranks were composed of civil and military officials. The civil and military ranks are all 29th, and they are named after "doctor", "lang" or "general", "xiawei", etc. Anyone who is familiar with ancient history will know that these doctors, generals, etc. are no longer official positions, but just titles that mark their levels, just like modern military ranks. The casual rank and the official rank are not consistent. For this reason, terms such as "Xing" and "Shou" have been developed to standardize them. At the beginning of joining the official service, the first thing an official receives is the casual rank; when he or she is dismissed from office, the casual rank still maintains the official's grade; when conferring a civil service officer, the rank of the official must be taken into consideration. There used to be many benefits attached to the casual class, such as salary, exemption from classes for farmland, punishment, class order, carriages, clothes, etc. In addition, there were also benefits related to official promotion, knighthood, concubine placement, repairs, funerals, posthumous titles, etc. . In the early Northern Song Dynasty, the rank of official was once "Jilu Guan". The hierarchy and advancement systems of the Tang and Song dynasties were dizzyingly complicated.
In the modern civil service hierarchy, there are two different types based on the classification of taste and the classification of position. The grading of grades is based on the qualifications and grades of personnel, which is represented by the official ranks that follow people; the grading of positions only determines remuneration and grades based on the rights and responsibilities of the positions, and there is no other official rank. The "separation of ranks and positions" system of the Tang and Song dynasties was obviously a matter of grade classification.
The traditional civil service hierarchy seems very simple at first glance: the Qin and Han Dynasties used the salary rank of "a few stones", and the Wei and Jin Dynasties used the nine-grade official rank, that's all. Not really. Rank or ninth grade is just a grade difference. Through the perspective of "grade-position", we can see much more. Both rank officials and ministerial officials use the ninth rank to mark their superiority, but for the former, the ninth rank is the personal rank; for the latter, the ninth rank is the rank of the position, which cannot be confused. So first, the rank of the position itself constitutes a sequence; second, the rank of an individual constitutes another sequence.
If we continue from "grade", there is a third one, the various official titles, titles, titles, part-time jobs, etc. that are used as "grade". The fact is that the hierarchy is also important. Parts often form a clear or vague sequence, corresponding to different statuses and treatments. Furthermore, fourthly, grade itself may also be used as grade. For example, the treatment of bureaucrats in the Han Dynasty gradually corresponded to the level of salary and rank. For example, officials above 600 shi had the right to be exempted from service and had the right to "ask first", and officials above 2,000 shi had the right to be appointed. Compared with the practice where rights and interests are only linked to specific positions, remuneration is based on grade, which makes the grade classification more intense. Later generations also have a large number of bureaucratic privileges based on official rank.
In the Qing Dynasty, "adding a certain title" and "adding a certain salary" were equivalent to using the official title itself as a grade. In addition, there is a fifth level. Although the ranks of officers and knights are not official ranks, they undoubtedly have some taste function.
These factors in the past dynasties are diverse and intricately intertwined, and they continue to undergo various mutations and present different patterns. In oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, it is generally the case that one person has one official, so someone may use "early characteristics" to explain the simplicity of official titles in Qin and Han Dynasties. In the bureaucratic transfers in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, you can sometimes see the promotion and demotion of various official titles: if someone moved to a certain official position too much, he would be slightly lowered to another title for fine-tuning to more accurately identify this bureaucrat. grade. According to ancient notes, the official titles of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties had more than 200 characters. The evolution of traditional hierarchical and job classification arrangements is not only reflected in the increasingly detailed division of functions, but also in the increasingly complex distribution of rights and interests and the setting of tastes.
However, if the complexity of taste is only regarded as a linear process, it is not entirely the case. For example, it may be considered that officials in the Zhou Dynasty all had two basic official titles. Sima, Sikou, Youshi, and Dashi should of course be regarded as official titles; Sequence seems to be subordinate to personal "taste". "The Rites of Zhou" has clear regulations on whether a certain official should be appointed as a middle-ranking official, a lower-ranking official, or a top-ranking official, a sergeant-ranking officer, or a corporal-ranking official. Under the aristocratic system of Shiqing Shilu, the rank of "inner nobility" firstly depends on the patriarchal status, and most of the various courtesy rights and privileges are attached to the rank. This kind of "inner nobility" that is independent of official positions can be regarded as the earliest grade classification in ancient China.
The Qin and Han Dynasties used "several stones" Luzhi to mark the bureaucratic level, and Luzhi has a prominent feature, which is largely attached to the position: those who occupy their positions have their rank; Then follow its rank. As a prefect, you are entitled to "two thousand stones". Once you are dismissed, the "two thousand stones" will not be yours. After an official resigned for some reason, the court did not retain his previous official qualifications, and it was not uncommon for him to hold a lower-ranking position than his original rank. For example, there was a 600-ton county magistrate. After resigning to mourn his parents for three years, he only found a job in a 100-ton county. It is not unusual for the Sangong to be re-elected to a lower official position than his original position. If you have served as three ministers in the past, then the imperial court will give you some preferential treatment when you become the minister of thousands of stones, and you can be given the treatment of two thousand stones, but it is still not up to the previous level of "ten thousand stones"; but still, those who have two thousand stones become ministers Ling, this little preferential treatment is gone, and he can only abide by the rank of Thousand Stones in his new position. People today often criticize whether positions can be promoted or lowered, and whether the level can be high or low, but this was not the case in Qin and Han Dynasties. This is a bit like job classification. In other words, from the pre-Qin "internal nobility" to the Han dynasty's rank, the taste factor in the official system tended to fade for a time.
On the official system of the Han Dynasty: "From the perspective of the entire system, compared with later generations, there are not many redundant officials, and each official is responsible for very specific tasks. ... The lack of redundant officials is probably the result of the development of bureaucracy. Performance, but it is also a characteristic of bureaucracy in its early stages. "The so-called "performance in the early stages" can be understood in a more positive way in addition to being simple and rough: Bureaucratic organizations are always more capable and effective when they are first established; then as time goes by. , aging, corruption and aristocratic factors gradually accumulate, including redundant officials, complicated grades, etc. The simplicity of hierarchical management in the Qin and Han Dynasties contained the roughness of creation, but at the same time it was concise, lively, and full of vitality; the complex procedures of entry, promotion, polishing, and official change in the Tang and Song Dynasties certainly contained the evolution of the system, but it was excessive The red tape and complicated details also reflect that the dynasty has to think deeply about the distribution of bureaucratic privileges, and this part of the affairs has expanded abnormally.
The scattered class system of the Tang and Song Dynasties inherited the remnants of the system of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Due to the influence of noble family politics, taste factors in the official system since the Wei and Jin Dynasties have flourished. The military title of "general", the leader of the Qin and Han Dynasties, soon became a military rank. All kinds of redundant officials, names, and honors have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. In the Han Dynasty, casual officials did not have fixed positions, but often took on temporary missions. After the Wei and Jin Dynasties, they were almost scattered or had honorary titles. The original functional significance of official promotion in the Han Dynasty was obviously weakened in this period. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Eastern and Western provincial systems were formed. The main functions of the civil and military officials in the two provinces were to provide the initial entry level for officials, the transfer ladder, and the promotion of titles. In addition, secretarial officials, East Palace attendants, and government bureaucrats have also become "tasteful" because they can travel freely and have nothing to do, and are mainly used for starting a family and moving around. Under the famous nine-rank Zhongzheng system, Zhongzheng is determined by family rank. Scholars already have a "family rank" as official qualifications at the beginning or even before they enter the officialdom. Various related examples, including distinctions between pure and dirty, distinctions between scholars and commoners, distinctions between civil and military officials, and distinctions between officials, all have a strong taste nature. Many taste settings of later generations were developed during this period, such as the system of emphasizing culture over martial arts, the system of internal flow and external flow, etc. The civil and military officers of the Tang Dynasty came from the officers and generals of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and had a historical relationship with the officers of the eastern and western provinces.
From the Tang and Song dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, a turning point occurred again. The form of Sanjie in the Ming Dynasty is similar to that of the Tang and Song dynasties, but in fact it has changed: in the Tang Dynasty, ranks were awarded based on the family shadow, and officials were awarded based on the rank. Official positions came from the rank, or based on "rank"; while in the Ming Dynasty, ranks were awarded based on officials. , only those with official positions have ranks, and casual ranks are awarded and received by entering the stream and passing the exam, and are adjusted accordingly according to changes in the job, that's all. Therefore, scholars believe that Sanjie in the Ming Dynasty was only an honorary title and was no longer independent of official rank. In the Qing Dynasty, the hierarchical treatment of officials was further tilted towards actual duties, and the hierarchical system continued to be diluted, simplified, and even confused with grants, which was beyond recognition.
It can be seen that taste classification and taste categories have not moved forward in a straight line throughout the ages, but have had uneven peaks and troughs. The "internal nobility" in the Zhou Dynasty can be regarded as the earliest grade classification, and the Han Dynasty's rank hierarchy shows the distinctive feature of "beautiful and beautiful in position"; the "door rank" and other systems in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties are undoubtedly taste arrangements and At the peak of grade-based official positions, the Tang and Song dynasties inherited the rest of the ranks; in the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was a trend of returning to position classification.
Those peaks and troughs do not come without reason. They are certainly inextricably linked to the changes in the personalities of bureaucratic politics and bureaucratic groups in each generation. This cannot but involve the issue of different tendencies between taste grading and position grading. Scholars believe that the grading of grades is "people-centered", which helps ensure the stability of bureaucrats and prevents them from losing their "level" due to changes in positions; the grading of positions is "matter-centered" , embodying a relatively scientific and democratic nature, ensuring efficiency and equal pay for equal work. The civil service system in early history was generally based on taste. The more traditional a society, the more important it was about identity, and "identity" was a status subordinate to the individual. For example, the British civil service system was born earlier, so it adopted the method of grade classification and retained aristocratic colors, which is quite different from the modern American civil service system.
Then these two classifications can be related to the problem of "self-interest orientation" or "service orientation" of bureaucrats. In the case of "service orientation", bureaucrats have only a small amount of autonomy and scope to expand their privileges. The iron fist of the autocratic king forces them to become an effective tool for mobilizing resources, unifying the country, and suppressing resistance. In the case of "self-interest orientation", bureaucrats' privileges expand and they have more space to pursue their own interests; official positions expand and efficiency decreases; bureaucrats regard official positions only as the source of salary, "privatize" or even make them hereditary. and "aristocratic" themselves. We assume that: the status-oriented, "people-centered" taste grading arrangement has a greater affinity with the "self-interest orientation" or "aristocratic" tendency of bureaucrats; the efficiency-oriented, "matter-centered" position Grading is intrinsically consistent with the "service orientation" of bureaucracy.
From this point of view, we can look at the changes in the official hierarchy in the past dynasties: the grade classification of officials in the Zhou Dynasty among ministers, officials, and scholars was in line with the feudal aristocratic politics at that time. The rapid bureaucratization of the Warring States period caused a rupture in the status system. The strong imperial power of the Qin and Han Dynasties "ruled the world with officials", or used the image of "officials" as the qualitative positioning of officials. Correspondingly, the salary and rank hierarchy showed a subordinate position. Intense color. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the bureaucracy has been greatly "gentrified". Corresponding to the politics of the gentry, the taste factor in this period's hierarchy was among the best in the imperial era. The developed scattered class system in the Tang and Song Dynasties, on the one hand, retained the influence of the previous era. When describing classes, "everything is based on the shadow of the family"; at the same time, the system of "laboring through examinations to enter the class" shows that it has returned to the category of bureaucratic politics. Guilty. As for the certain return to job classification in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it should be said that it is directly related to what scholars call "the highly strengthened autocratic imperial power" and "the reduction of the legal privileges of the bureaucracy" during this period.
The above description of the changes in the taste system of the past dynasties is only a very broad outline; in addition to the five categories of taste arrangements summarized above, there must be more taste factors. The form and origin of taste grades in the past dynasties, as well as the number and categories of taste officials are complex and vary from time to time. Every subtle change can reflect relevant political changes. Analyzing the cause and effect can reveal some important aspects of ancient China's political system. side. The study of bureaucracy from the perspective of taste is of equal importance to the study of bureaucracy from the perspective of function.
The nine-level Zhongzheng system is also called the nine-level official system. After the establishment of Cao Wei, it was proposed by Chen Qun, the Minister of Civil Affairs. Its main content is to select "virtuous and insightful" officials in various states and counties to serve as "Zhongzheng", visit and evaluate people in the states and counties, and divide them into upper, upper, upper, lower, middle upper, middle, middle, lower, and lower upper The ninth grade, the lower middle grade, the lower grade, and the lower grade are the basis for the appointment of officials by the Ministry of personnel. In fact, officials are all selected from aristocratic families, resulting in the situation that "there are no poor families in the upper grades, and no aristocratic families in the lower grades." This system was used to select officials throughout the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
Under the bureaucratic hierarchy of the Tang Dynasty, in addition to the official officials, there were the civil and military ranks. They were composed of civil and military officers respectively, and were called "san position" and "benpin". ” or “this level”. There are 29 ranks in Wensanguan. The three ministers of Kaifu Yi are in the first rank, and Tejin is in the second rank; from the second rank to the fifth rank, the 11th rank is all named "Dafu", namely Guanglu Dafu, Jinzi Guanglu Dafu, Yinqing Guanglu Dafu, Zhengyi Dafu, Tongyi Dafu, Taizhong Dafu, Zhongdafu, Zhongsan Dafu, Chaoyi Dafu, Chaoqing Dafu, Chaosan Dafu; from the sixth rank of Zhengyi to the ninth rank, they are Chaoyilang, Cheng Yilang, Fengyilang, Tongzhilang, Chaoqinglang, Xuandelang, Chaosanlang, Xuanyilang, Guishilang, Zhengshilang, Chengfenglang, Chengwulang, Rulinlang, Dengshilang, Wen Linlang and Jiang Shilang. Wu Sanguan is also at level 29.
From the first to the third rank, they are the Hussar General, the Fu Guo General, the Zhenjun General, and the Champion General; from the third rank to the fifth rank, they are the Yunhui General, the Zhongwu General, the Zhuangwu General, the Xuanwei General, General Mingwei, General Dingyuan, General Ningyuan, Ranger General, Guerrilla General; from the sixth rank to the ninth rank, the upper rank is the school lieutenant and the lower rank is the deputy lieutenant, respectively Zhaowu Xiaowei, Zhaowu Deputy Lieutenant, Zhenwu Wei Xiaowei, Zhenwu Deputy Lieutenant, Zhiguo Xiaowei, Zhiguo Deputy Lieutenant, Yihui Xiaowei, Yihui Deputy Lieutenant, Xuanjie Xiaowei, Xuanjie Deputy Lieutenant, Yuhang Xiaowei, Yuhang Deputy Lieutenant, Renyong Xiaowei Lieutenant, Renyong Deputy Lieutenant, Pai Rong Xiao Lieutenant, and Pai Rong Deputy Lieutenant. There is a sentence in Bai Juyi's "Qing Fei": "All Zhu Fu are officials, and purple ribbons are generals." According to the Tang system, fourth- and fifth-rank officials wear Feiyi, and second- and third-rank officials wear purple ribbons. "Doctor" and "general" It's all about the scattered level.
The divisions of the lawsuits are: province, platform, temple, prison, guard, and government, each of which is under its own jurisdiction and is divided into nine grades.
, each grade can be divided into righteousness and conformity, up to eighteen levels.
Zhengyipin - (text) Taishi, Taifu, Taibao, and Bachelor. (Wu) Lead the minister of bodyguards.
From Yipin - (text) Shaoshi, Shaofu, Shaobao, Prince Taishi, Prince Taifu, Prince Taibao, governors, ministers of various ministries, censors of the right and left of the Duchayuan Du censor. (Wu) General, Dutong, Admiral.
Second rank - (text) Prince Shaoshi, Prince Shaofu, Prince Shaobao, governors of various provinces, left and right ministers of various ministries. (武) Deputy Commander, Chief of the Army.
From the second rank - (literary) governor of each province, bachelor of the cabinet, bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, chief envoy of each province. (Wu) Lieutenant General.
Third grade - (text) Right Deputy Du Censor of the Ducha Yuan, Left Deputy Du Censor, General Secretary of the General Affairs Department, Minister of Dali Temple, Minister of Zhan Shifu, Minister of Taichang Temple, The governor of Shuntian Prefecture, the governor of Fengtian Prefecture, and the inspectors of each province. (Martial) General.
From the third rank - (text) Minister of Guanglu Temple, Minister of Taipu Temple, salt transport envoys of various provinces. (Wu) Guerrilla.
Fourth grade - (text) Deputy envoy of the General Affairs Department, Shaoqing of Dali Temple, Shao Zhanshi of Zhanshifu, Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, Shaoqing of Honglu Temple, Shaoqing of Taipu Temple, and various provincial roads member. (武) Dusi.
From the fourth grade - (literary) Bachelor's degree at the Hanlin Academy, Bachelor at the Lectures, Jiujiu at the Imperial College, Bachelor at the Cabinet, and prefects of various provinces. (Martial) City Gate Leader
The fifth rank - (Wen) Zuoyou Chunfang Zuozi, Guanglu Temple Shaoqing, Qintian Supervisor, Liuke Gishizhong, various ministries, and various The governor of the government and the governor of Zhili Prefecture. (Martial) Defense.
From the fifth rank - (text) Shaoqing of Honglu Temple, supervisory censor of various Taoism, minister of Hanlin Academy, foreign minister of various ministries, magistrate of various provinces. (Wu) Chief Qian of the garrison.
Second Sixth Grade - (text) Secretary of the Imperial Academy, Minister of the Cabinet, Zhongyun of the Left and Right Chunfang, Head of various ministries, General Magistrate of the Beijing Prefecture, Magistrate of the Jingxian County, and General Magistrate of all provinces. (武) Men Qianzong and Yingqianzong.
From the sixth grade - (text) Zuo Chun Fang Zuo Zan Shan, edited by Hanlin Academy, official at Guanglu Temple, Zhili Zhouzhou Tong, Zhou Tong. (Martial) Ministry Qianzong.
Zheng Qipin - (text) editor of Hanlin Academy, Qipin style of writing in various ministries, professor and tutor of Shuntian Fuxue, magistrate of Chengwai County in Jingxian County, and professor of various Fuxue. (武) Commander.
From the seventh grade - (text) Hanlin Academy Review, Zhongshu Kezhongshu, Cabinet Secretary, Doctor of the Imperial College, Zhili Prefecture Prefectural Judge, and Prefectural Judge. (Wu) Deputy Lieutenant of Shengjing Nomad.
The eighth grade of Zheng - (text) the imperial physician of the imperial hospital, the eighth grade of writing style of various ministries, the experience of foreign government, the county magistrate of other counties, the state Xuezheng, and the county teaching edict. (Wu) Foreign Affairs Committee General Qian.
From the eighth level - (text) Hanlin Academy Dianbu, prefecture, state and county instructions. (Wu) Commissioned Xiaoqiwei.
Zhengjiupin - (text) Ninth-level writing style of each ministry and hospital, and county master's book. (Wu) The Foreign Affairs Commission is in charge.
From the ninth rank - (text) imperial edict, Xingbu prisoner, state official, and inspection. (Wu) Additional foreign commissions.
Not yet entered the stream - (literary) Officials in Dianshi, Yicheng and Hebosuo in Beijing and other counties (the military attache has not yet entered the stream).
The Taishi, Taifu, Taibao... here are just honorary titles given to ministers, or given as a gift after death. Right Du Censor is the additional title of the governor; Right Deputy Du Censor is the additional title of the governor; the governor and the governor are the highest local officials. With the title of Du Censor, they can have the power of impeachment. These are empty titles rather than actual positions.