岁俸

歲俸

suìfèng

noun

Meanings

1 annual salary
2 yearly stipend (esp. of an official in imperial China)

Characters

official salary / stipend

Examples

唐代官员的岁俸由朝廷统一发放。

Tángdài guānyuán de suìfèng yóu cháotíng tǒngyī fāfàng.

Tang-dynasty officials' annual stipends were issued by the imperial court.

他的岁俸不足以养活全家。

Tā de suìfèng bùzú yǐ yǎnghuó quánjiā.

His yearly salary was not enough to support the whole family.

Tips

history

岁俸 is a historical term — imperial Chinese officials received stipends measured in 石 (shí, units of grain) per year. The Qing dynasty famously paid 一品官 (top-rank official) only 180 taels of silver per 岁俸, supplemented by 养廉银 'integrity-supporting silver' to discourage bribery.

register

Use 年薪 (niánxīn) for modern annual salary. 岁俸 is reserved for historical writing or wuxia/court drama settings.

Stroke Order

岁 suì

俸 fèng