宦官 (huànguān): court eunuch

Meanings

1 court eunuch
2 palace eunuch

Characters

宦

Examples

明朝末年宦官专权。

Míngcháo mònián huànguān zhuānquán.

In the late Ming dynasty, eunuchs monopolized power.

他是皇帝最信任的宦官。

Tā shì huángdì zuì xìnrèn de huànguān.

He was the emperor's most trusted eunuch.

Tips

history

Eunuchs served Chinese emperors for over two millennia. They wielded extraordinary power in several dynasties - notably late Han, Tang, and especially Ming (with the 东厂 secret police). Famous figures: Sima Qian (司马迁, Han historian), Zheng He (郑和, Ming admiral), Wei Zhongxian (魏忠贤, Ming villain).

usage

More formal/historical than 太监, which is the everyday term. Both refer to the same role but 宦官 leans literary/textbook.