三公

Chinese

Etymology

Starting in the Zhou Dynasty, the three highest civil posts were: 太師／太师 (tàishī), 太傅 (tàifù), 太保 (tàibǎo). In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the three positions were: 太尉 (tàiwèi) (Grand Commandant), 司徒 (sītú) (Minister over the Masses) and 司空 (sīkōng) (Minister of Works). Later on, the three positions were discontinued, and their duties were folded into the position of 丞相 (chéngxiàng) (chancellor of China).

The modern sense of "three kinds of public expenses" is a collective term for 公車／公车 (“government cars”), 因公出國／因公出国 (“overseas trips”), and 公務接待／公务接待 (“official receptions”).

Pronunciation

Noun

三公

1. (archaic) three highest-ranking civil officials in the imperial court
2. a kind of poker game
3. (Mainland China, politics) three kinds of public expenses, including buy and use government cars, overseas trips, and official receptions

Derived terms

Descendants

See also

• 三司 (sānsī)

References

• Chancellor of China on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• 圖解三國時代, p. 107 and 250, →ISBN

Japanese

 三公 on Japanese Wikipedia

Etymology

Literary Chinese 三公 (sāngōng)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) さんこー (Heiban – )
• (Tokyo) さ​んこー (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

三(さん)公(こう) • (sankō) 

1. (historical, government) three highest-ranking officials in feudal China

   Holonym: 三公九卿

   (Zhou) Meronyms: 太師, 太傅, 太保

   (Han) Meronyms: 御史大夫, 丞相, 太尉

   (Later Han and later) Meronyms: 司空, 司徒, 太尉

2. (historical, government) three highest-ranking officials in feudal Japan

   Meronyms: 右大臣, 左大臣, 太政大臣

   Meronyms: 右大臣, 左大臣, 内大臣

See also

• 公(こう)主(しゅ) (kōshu)