公卿

gōngqīng

noun

Meanings

1 high-ranking court officials (in imperial China)
2 the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers; nobles and ministers

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

汉代的公卿大臣多由名门望族担任。

Hàn dài de gōngqīng dàchén duō yóu míngmén wàngzú dānrèn.

In the Han dynasty, the high officials were mostly drawn from prominent aristocratic families.

HSK 7-9

他出入公卿之家，结交甚广。

Tā chūrù gōngqīng zhī jiā, jiéjiāo shèn guǎng.

He moved freely among noble households and had a wide circle of acquaintances.

Tips

history

公 refers to the 三公 (the Three Dukes, top advisory ministers); 卿 to the 九卿 (Nine Ministers heading major departments). The exact list of titles changed across dynasties but the 公卿 collective remained shorthand for the imperial inner circle until the Tang.

Stroke Order

公 gōng

卿 qīng