团练

團練

tuánliàn

noun #87,334

Meanings

1 local militia (late imperial China)
2 village self-defense corps formed to suppress uprisings

Characters

group / regiment

to train / drill

Examples

曾国藩在湖南组建团练对抗太平军。

Zēng Guófān zài Húnán zǔjiàn tuánliàn duìkàng Tàipíngjūn.

Zeng Guofan organized local militia in Hunan to fight the Taiping army.

清代后期，各地团练势力日益壮大。

Qīngdài hòuqī, gèdì tuánliàn shìlì rìyì zhuàngdà.

In the late Qing, local militia forces grew increasingly powerful across the country.

Tips

history

From the Song through early Republican period, 团练 referred to landlord-led, gentry-funded local militias raised outside the regular army. Their most famous incarnation was Zeng Guofan's 湘军 (Xiang Army), which crushed the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) and reshaped late-Qing power by giving Han Chinese officials independent military authority.

Stroke Order

团 tuán

练 liàn