Situ (office)

Situ was one of the highest ranking government offices in ancient China. Established in the Western Zhou dynasty, it was originally written as 司土 (pinyin: Sītǔ), meaning Administrator of Land.[1][2]

During the Han dynasty, the title became written with the different characters 司徒 (pinyin: Sītú; lit. 'Administrator of people'), which is translated variously as Minister over the Masses[3] or Excellency over the Masses.[4] It was one of the three most important official posts during the Han dynasty, called the Three Excellencies. The nominal salary for the post was 20,000 dàn (石) of grain.[5]

The title is the origin of the surname Situ.

  1. ^ 中国古代官制常识. Guoxue.com (in Chinese). 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  2. ^ 周代司徒职分考辨. CNKI (in Chinese). Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  3. ^ Bielenstein, 207–230
  4. ^ de Crespigny, 1221
  5. ^ Michael Loewe The Men Who Governed Han China Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods (2004)