宦官

huànguān

noun #65,640

Meanings

1 court eunuch
2 palace eunuch

Characters

official/eunuch

Examples

HSK 6

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.

HSK 7-9

明朝末年宦官专权。

Míngcháo mònián huànguān zhuānquán.

In the late Ming dynasty, eunuchs monopolized power.

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.

In Pop Culture

郑和 Zhènghé

Zheng He

Ming dynasty Muslim eunuch admiral who led seven massive treasure-fleet voyages (1405-1433) to Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and East Africa.

Stroke Order

宦 huàn

官 guān