掾 (yuàn) - A subordinate official & a clerk or minor functionary in ancient Chinese

掾Tone 4

yuàn ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

喻悦

掾 · yuàn

A subordinate official;

a clerk or minor functionary in ancient Chinese government administration.

A subordinate officiala clerk or minor functionary in ancient Chinese

Usage highlights

Subordinate officialCounty clerkOfficial subordinatePersonnel clerkMilitary clerkLegal clerk

Synonyms

  • 吏— clerk, minor official
  • 佐— assistant, aide
  • 丞— assistant magistrate

Antonyms

  • 官— high official, mandarin
  • 长— chief, head

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He served as a county clerk (县掾).
  • The official document was handled by a subordinate official (掾吏).
  • During the Han dynasty, this position (掾属) was common in local government.
  • The magistrate's assistant (功曹掾) managed personnel records.

Collocations

  • Subordinate official(掾吏)
  • County clerk(县掾)
  • Official subordinate(掾属)
  • Personnel clerk(功曹掾)
  • Military clerk(军掾)
  • Legal clerk(法曹掾)

Idioms

  • To serve as a minor official(为掾)
  • Clerk and assistant(掾佐)
  • Subordinate officials and staff(掾属吏员)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In imperial Chinese bureaucracy, 掾 referred to low-ranking administrative officials who handled specific clerical duties.
  • These positions were typically filled by educated men who hadn't passed higher civil service examinations.
  • The term appears frequently in historical records from the Han dynasty onward, describing various specialized clerical roles.

FAQ