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Situ (office)

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(Redirected from Minister over the Masses)

Situ was one of the highest ranking government offices in ancient China. Established in the Western Zhou dynasty, it was originally written as 司土 (pinyin: Sītǔ), meaning Administrator of Land.[1][2]

During the Han dynasty, the title became written with the different characters 司徒 (pinyin: Sītú; lit. 'Administrator of people'), which is translated variously as Minister over the Masses[3] or Excellency over the Masses.[4] It was one of the three most important official posts during the Han dynasty, called the Three Excellencies. The nominal salary for the post was 20,000 dàn () of grain.[5]

The title is the origin of the surname Situ.

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ 中国古代官制常识. Guoxue.com (in Chinese). 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  2. ^ 周代司徒职分考辨. CNKI (in Chinese). Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  3. ^ Bielenstein, 207–230
  4. ^ de Crespigny, 1221
  5. ^ Michael Loewe The Men Who Governed Han China Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods (2004)

Sources

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