The T’ang System of Bureaucratic Titles and Grades

Abstract

T'ang Studies 5 (1987) The T'ang System of Bureaucratic Titles and Grades TS'EN CHUNG-MIEN translated by P.A. Herbert OSAKA UNIVERSITY (While working on the life of Chang Chiu-ling for my doctoral dissertation some years ago, 1 translated in full for my own reference Ts'en Chung-mien's article "I T'ang-tai kuan-chih shuo-ming Chang Ch'li-chiang chi fu-Iu kao-ming te ts'o-wu" ["Explaining the Errors in the Grants of Office Appended to Chang Chiu-ling's Works, According to T'ang Bureaucratic Institutions"].l During recent work on T'ang civil service recruitment, 1found the translation of this article to be very useful in explaining the complex system of titles and grades held by T'ang officials. 1 have here extracted the sections of general interest to share with other Western scholars of the T'ang, who may find the T'ang titles and grades as confusing as 1did before reading Ts'en's relatively obscure article. Except where otherwise indicated, all material that follows is translated verbatim from Ts'en Chung-mien's article.) A Summary of the Bureaucratic System of the T'ang Dynasty T'ang bureaucratic institutions, compared to those of any other dynasty , are most complex, and they make use of very many technical terms, each term often having two or more meanings. In outline, the bureaucratic system may be divided into substantive offices (chihshih -kuan ~ * '§), nominal offices (san-kuan it '§), noble titles (chiieh J.j.) and honorific titles (hsiin ilJ). Officials of the fifth rank and above often held all four, while even the lowest grade had a substantive office and a nominal office. Besides one often meets with upresentations " (tz'u ~), that is to say, decorations. These five grants were all independent (only the substantive office and nominal office having some relevance to each other in a technical sense), and they did not necessarily all change together, so that in the case of each decree granting a promotion or demotion in substantive office, it was necessary to make clear whether the other items remained as before. The grades of the bureaucratic system were thus. Civil officials were divided into those Uwithin the current" (liu-nei mt V'J) and those ((outsidethe current" (liu-wai mt 7}): liu-wai is the same as what was called wei-ju-liu ( *= A. mt) in the Ch'ing dynasty. Those within the current were divided into nine ranks (chiu-p'in .1L ~), each rank hav1Ts 'en Chung-mien '-if 1$ Ml, "I T'ang-tai kuan-chih shuo-ming Chang Ch'li-chiang chi fu-Iu kao-ming te ts'o-wu" 1R 1lf fC '§ $IJ ~R;SJI 51f aB iI~Mt jfk ~ frl (f.J it ~, Chung-shan la-hslieh hsiieh-pao (She-hui k'o-hsiieh) $ L1J *~~morrt 1t l4 ~ ) (February 1958), 56-68. 25 T'ang Studies 5 (1987) The T'ang System of Bureaucratic Titles and Grades TS'ENCHUNG-MIEN translated by P.A. Herbert OSAKA UNIVERSITY (Whileworkingon the lifeofChangChiu-lingfor mydoctoraldissertation some years ago, I translated in full for my own reference Ts'en Chung-mien'sarticle "I T'ang-tai kuan-chih shuo-mingChang Ch'il-chiangchi fu-lu kao-mingte ts'o-wu" 「'Explaining the Errors in the Grants of OfficeAppendedto Chang Chiu-ling's Works, Accordingto T'ang Bureaucratic Institutions"].1 During recent work on T'angcivilservicerecruitment, I foundthe translation ofthis article tobe very useful in explainingthe complexsystem of titles and grades held by T'ang officials.I have here extracted the sections of general interest to share with other Western scholarsofthe T'ang, whomayfind the T'ang titles and gradesas confusingas I did beforereading Ts'en's relatively obscurearticle. Exceptwhereotherwise indicated, all material that followsis translated verbatimfromTs'enChung-mien'sarticle.) A Summary of the Bureaucratic System of the T'ang Dynasty T'ang bureaucratic institutions, compared to those of any other dynasty , are most complex, and they make use of very many technical terms, each term often having two or more meanings. In outline, the bureaucratic system may be divided into substantive offices (chihshih -kuan 職事官）， nominal offices (san-kuan 散官）， noble titles (chiieh 爵） and honorific titles...