Zhongshu Sheng

Central Secretariat
中书省
Zhongshu Sheng
Tang seal of the Zhongshu Sheng
Agency overview
Formedc. Western Han (202 BC–9 AD)
Dissolved1380
Zhongshu Sheng
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Literal meaningInner (or privy) secretary's department
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōngshū shěng
Wade–GilesChung1-shu1 sheng3

The Zhongshu Sheng (), also known as the Palace Secretariat or Central Secretariat, was one of the departments of the Three Departments and Six Ministries government structure in imperial China from the Cao Wei (220–266) until the early Ming dynasty. As one of the Three Departments, the Zhongshu Sheng was primarily a policy-formulating agency responsible for proposing and drafting all imperial decrees, but its actual function varied at different times. The department traces its origins back to the Han dynasty.