侍郎 (shìláng): vice-minister (imperial China,…

Meanings

1 vice-minister (imperial China, Ming–Qing)
2 deputy head of one of the Six Boards

Characters

侍

Examples

他在清末做过工部侍郎。

Tā zài Qīngmò zuòguo Gōngbù shìláng.

In the late Qing he served as vice-minister of the Board of Works.

六部各设尚书一人、侍郎二人。

Liùbù gè shè shàngshū yì rén, shìláng èr rén.

Each of the Six Boards had one minister and two vice-ministers.

Tips

history

Under the Ming and Qing, each of the Six Boards (六部: personnel, revenue, rites, war, justice, works) was headed by a 尚书 (minister) assisted by two 侍郎 (vice-ministers). The title existed from Han onward but its fixed rank as deputy minister dates from Ming.

register

Encountered almost exclusively in historical writing, period dramas, and costume novels; no modern bureaucratic use.