官吏 (guānlì): government official

Measure Word

一位官吏 wèi

Meanings

1 government official
2 bureaucrat (historical)

Characters

clerk; minor official

Officials of all ranks.

Examples

HSK 6

古代的官吏大多通过科举考试选拔。

Gǔdài de guānlì dàduō tōngguò kējǔ kǎoshì xuǎnbá.

Ancient officials were mostly selected through the imperial examination.

HSK 7-9

腐败的官吏遭到了惩罚。

Fǔbài de guānlì zāodào le chéngfá.

The corrupt officials were punished.

Tips

usage

官吏 has a historical or literary flavor. In modern Chinese, 官员 or 公务员 are more commonly used for government officials.

history

官 referred to higher-ranking officials and 吏 to lower-ranking clerks. Together 官吏 covers all levels of government service.

Stroke Order

官 guān

吏 lì

Related Words

官员 guānyuán HSK 7-9 #4,480

government official / officer / functionary

官 guān HSK 4 #1,551

official / government official / organ (body part)

官服 guānfú

official dress (of an imperial-era government official) / uniform of an official

官僚 guānliáo HSK 7-9 #13,212

bureaucrat / officialdom / bureaucratic

官老爷 guānlǎoye

a (sarcastic) nickname for an official / bureaucrat lording it over the people / high-and-mighty official

贪官污吏 tānguān-wūlì #67,405

corrupt officials / grasping officials and venal clerks

军官 jūnguān HSK 7-9 #4,772

military officer / officer

警官 jǐngguān HSK 7-9 #1,007

police officer / constable

吏 lì #29,687

government official (historical) / minor official / functionary

官方 guānfāng HSK 4 #4,587

official / governmental / authoritative