师爷 (shī yé) — private secretary or adviser (in imperial China); (honorific) teacher's father or grandfather
Definition
In imperial China, 师爷 was a privately hired adviser or secretary who helped officials (especially local ones) draft documents and handle legal matters — not a government clerk, but a personal aide.
noun
private secretary or adviser (in imperial China)(honorific) teacher's father or grandfather
Measure word · 位
Examples
- 。Shī ye zài qīng cháo shí qī shì guān yuán de zhòng yào zhù shǒu.The private secretary was an important aide to officials during the Qing dynasty.
- 。Tā shì yí wèi yǒu jīng yàn de shī ye.He was an experienced private secretary.
- ，。Cūn lǐ rén jiào tā wáng shī ye, yīn wèi tā bāng dà jiā xiě zhuàng zi.The villagers called him Wang Shiye because he helped everyone write legal petitions.
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