清官 (qīng guān) — honest and upright official (in imperial China)

Definition

An honest, upright official in imperial China — a recurring ideal, often contrasted with 贪官 ('corrupt official'). Used today mostly in historical or literary contexts to praise incorruptible figures like 包拯.

noun
honest and upright official (in imperial China)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 清官。
    Lì shǐ shàng yǒu hěn duō qīng guān de gù shi.
    There are many stories of honest officials in history.
  • 清官。
    Bǎi xìng dōu xī wàng yù dào yí wèi qīng guān.
    The common people all hope to encounter an upright official.
  • 清官。
    Bāo zhěng shì sòng dài zhù míng de qīng guān.
    Bao Zheng was a famous honest official of the Song dynasty.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

清qīngpure/incorrupt
官guānofficial

清 suggests purity and uprightness, while 官 is an official, giving an honest official.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng清qīng
Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

Open 清 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀mián
  • 𠂤𠂤𠂤

官 pairs 宀, a roof, with 𠂤, rooms beneath it, to depict an official building.

Open 官 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.