Eunuch is not a title that only exists in modern times, as early as the Tang Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty, there was already the existence of the official position of eunuch. And what we usually call "eunuchs" is actually the title after the Ming Dynasty.
During the Ming Dynasty, the status of eunuchs was extremely high, in order to better manage them, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang set up many eunuch institutions, including nine eunuchs, two libraries, six bureaus, etc., and later developed into twenty-four yamen, each department was led by the palm seal eunuchs, responsible for the daily trivial affairs of the emperor and the royal family.
In addition, the Ming Dynasty also set up the East Factory, the West Factory, and the Nei Factory, which were responsible for investigating the government and the common people, interfering in finances, managing the imperial village, managing the warehouse, and managing the construction and other affairs.
As the power of eunuchs grew, so did the number of sycophants, and all eunuchs, regardless of their position, had to bow their heads to their superiors. Over time, the title "eunuch" became an everyday phrase.
By the Qing Dynasty, eunuch became the common name for eunuchs.
In ancient Chinese history books, eunuchs are referred to by many different names. According to statistics, there are dozens of them. Here are some of the most common names. Templeman: This word originally referred to the courtiers of the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
Later, it specifically referred to eunuchs who had been castrated, because"Temple"The pronunciation and"Waiting"The same, so it is called a temple person. Siren is the name of the early eunuchs, and it has been in the literature in the Spring and Autumn Period of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Note that monastery and monk are two different names and should not be confused. A monk refers to a practitioner of Buddhism, while a temple person refers to a eunuch who has been castrated. Eunuch: This title was used after the Warring States period to refer specifically to eunuchs.
In official documents from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, the formal titles eunuch or eunuch were usually used.
Rot, refers to the palace punishment, after the male is castrated, he can no longer bear children, just like rotten wood cannot grow fruit. ”
Eunuchs served in the palace or in the inner court, so they had a variety of titles, such as lieutenant, minister, and eunuch. When they serve as envoys, they are called lieutenants, and those who are powerful are called nobles. The eunuchs of the Han Dynasty often wore mink and jue as ornaments, so they were called "mink jue".
In addition, there are many names such as "eunuch temple", "eunuch temple", "mink temple", "women's temple", "zhongju", "inner eunuch", "eunuch", "inner envoy", "palace supervisor" and so on.
In the salutation, we can also see different emotional colors. Among them are honorific titles, such as "father-in-law" and "lord"; There are also disdainful names, such as "eunuch erection", "eunuch erection" and "inner erection"; There are also titles that specifically refer to castrated officials, such as "torturer", "torturer" and "purification"; Finally, some are called by the position of eunuchs, such as "Huangmen", because in the Han Dynasty, eunuchs held positions such as Huangmen Ling, Zhonghuangmen, and Xiaohuangmen.