p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Translate Flashcards Sign in

卿

qīng
noun #32,817

Meanings

  1. 1 high-ranking official (archaic)
  2. 2 minister (in old government titles)
  3. 3 term of endearment between spouses (archaic)
  4. 4 you (used by an emperor to address subjects, archaic)

Examples

众卿平身。
Zhòng qīng píng shēn.
Rise, my ministers. (formulaic line spoken by emperors in costume drama)
卿卿我我，别提多甜蜜了。
Qīngqīng-wǒwǒ, bié tí duō tiánmì le.
They were all lovey-dovey, sweet beyond words.
他官至九卿。
Tā guān zhì jiǔ qīng.
He rose to the rank of one of the Nine Ministers.

Tips

history
卿 was a top echelon of officialdom in ancient China. Pre-Qin states had 六卿 (Six Ministers); Han re-organized them as 九卿 (Nine Ministers) below the 三公 (Three Excellencies). Emperors addressed individual ministers as 爱卿 (àiqīng, 'my dear minister') — a stock phrase in 古装剧 (period dramas) today.
register
Outside formal historical writing, 卿 today is overwhelmingly literary or playful. The reduplicated idiom 卿卿我我 means 'darling-darling, me-me' — i.e. a couple being saccharinely affectionate.

Stroke Order

卿 qīng