Terms
Official titles, military ranks, cultural concepts, and technical terms used throughout the Three Kingdoms period.
- Chancellor 丞相
The highest civil office under the emperor, responsible for overseeing the bureaucracy and advising the sovereign.
- Colonel 校尉
A mid-level military title (校尉 xiàowèi) for officers who commanded specialist or guard units; many variants existed in Han and Three Kingdoms armies.
- Commandery 郡
The main administrative unit below the province in Han China; a commandery (郡 jùn) was headed by a Grand Administrator and contained several counties.
- Courtesy name 字
A secondary name (字 zì) given in adulthood, used by peers and in formal address; standard in Han and Three Kingdoms elite culture.
- Duke 公
A high noble title between marquis and king; used in the late Han and Three Kingdoms for the highest enfeoffments before the title of king.
- Emperor 皇帝
The sovereign title of the ruler of China; the Han emperor's legitimacy was contested as warlords and kingdoms claimed authority.
- General 将军
A high military rank (将军 jiāngjūn) for commanders of armies or major forces; many specific titles existed, e.g. General of the Vanguard, General Who Subdues the West.
- General of the Household 中郎将
A senior military title for generals who commanded the emperor's or ruler's household troops and often led campaigns.
- Governor 州牧
The supreme provincial official with civil and military authority over a province (zhou), often the basis of warlord power in the late Han.
- Grand Commandant 太尉
One of the Three Excellencies; the highest military-ceremonial office under the Han, often held by the dominant general or regent.
- Halberd 戟
A pole weapon with a blade or spearhead combined with a hook or crescent; common in Han and Three Kingdoms warfare and ceremony.
- Inspector 刺史
A regional official who oversaw commanderies within a province and reported on the conduct of local administrators.
- Jian'an literature 建安文学
The poetry and prose of the late Eastern Han Jian'an period (196–220), centred on Cao Cao's court. It influenced later Chinese literature and is associated with Cao Zhi and the Seven Masters of Jian'an.
- Jingzhou school 荆州学派
The scholarly and administrative community centred in Jing Province under Liu Biao. It attracted refugees and scholars from the north and influenced the intellectual climate of the late Han.
- King 王
A noble title below the emperor; Han vassal kings ruled territorial kingdoms until the court restricted their power. Later, Cao Cao and others took the title King before founding dynasties.
- Luoshen fu 洛神赋
Cao Zhi's 'Rhapsody on the Goddess of the Luo', one of the most famous fu of the Jian'an period. It describes an encounter with a goddess and is a landmark of Chinese literary tradition.
- Marquis 侯
A noble title granting an estate and rank below duke and king; used to enfeoff generals and officials in the Han and Three Kingdoms.
- Minister of Works 司空
One of the Three Excellencies; the Han minister responsible for public works, construction, and related administration.
- Minister over the Masses 司徒
One of the Three Excellencies; the Han minister responsible for civil administration and the population.
- Nine Bestowals 九錫
Nine ceremonial gifts and privileges granted by the emperor to a subject of exceptional merit; in practice often a prelude to the recipient founding a new dynasty.
- Posthumous title 谥号
An honourific title (谥号 shìhào) granted after death to summarise a ruler's or noble's reign or character; used for emperors and kings in the Three Kingdoms.
- Province 州
The highest regional administrative unit in Han China; a province (州 zhōu) contained several commanderies and was overseen by an Inspector or Governor.
- Shu Code 蜀科
The legal code compiled under Zhuge Liang for Shu Han. It provided a unified set of laws and punishments and was associated with orderly governance.
- Son of Heaven 天子
The Chinese term for the emperor as the recipient of the Mandate of Heaven; control of the Son of Heaven was central to Cao Cao's strategy of legitimising his campaigns.
- Three Excellencies 三公
The three highest offices under the Han emperor—Grand Commandant, Minister over the Masses, Minister of Works—collectively known as the Three Excellencies.
- Tuntian 屯田
Military-agricultural colonies that settled soldiers and refugees on state land to grow grain; pioneered under Cao Cao to supply his armies and stabilise conquered territory.