宦 (huàn) - Official & government official

宦Tone 4

huàn ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 宀

枫惠

宦 · huàn

Official;

government official;

to serve as an official;

eunuch.

Officialgovernment officialto serve as an official

Usage highlights

Government officialEunuchOfficial careerOfficialdomTo serve as an officialTo travel for an official post

Synonyms

  • 官— official
  • 吏— clerk, minor official
  • 臣— minister, official (to a sovereign)

Antonyms

  • 民— common people, civilian
  • 隐— recluse, hermit

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He served as an official in the imperial court (宦于朝).
  • The eunuch wielded considerable power (宦官掌权).
  • His family background was of officialdom (宦门之后).
  • He traveled far to take up an official post (宦游远方).

Collocations

  • Government official(官员)
  • Eunuch(宦官)
  • Official career(宦途)
  • Officialdom(宦海)
  • To serve as an official(仕宦)
  • To travel for an official post(宦游)

Idioms

  • The treacherous eunuch usurps power(宦官擅权)
  • Floating and sinking in the sea of officialdom(宦海浮沉)
  • A successful official career(宦途得意)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In imperial China, '宦' originally referred to a government official or the act of serving in an official capacity.
  • The term '宦官' specifically came to denote eunuchs, who were castrated males serving in the imperial palace, often wielding significant political influence.
  • The concept of '宦海' (sea of officialdom) reflects the precarious and unpredictable nature of a bureaucratic career, with its constant rises and falls in favor.

FAQ