师爷

師爺

shīye

noun #53,655

Meanings

1 (historical) privately hired legal or administrative advisor to a government official
2 teacher's teacher (in academic lineage)

Characters

master / adviser

Examples

HSK 7-9

清朝官员常常聘请绍兴师爷处理公文。

Qīngcháo guānyuán chángcháng pìnqǐng Shàoxīng shīye chǔlǐ gōngwén.

Qing-dynasty officials often hired Shaoxing advisors to handle official documents.

HSK 7-9

他给县太爷当师爷。

Tā gěi xiàn tài yé dāng shīye.

He serves as the county magistrate's advisor.

Tips

history

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, 师爷 were private secretaries hired personally by a magistrate (not by the state) to handle law, taxation, and paperwork. 绍兴师爷 - from Shaoxing in Zhejiang - became so dominant the term is synonymous with the role.

Stroke Order

师 shī

爷 yé