fief; fiefdom; enfeoffed land
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
land granted by a monarch to a vassal; fief
archaicHistorical term referring to the land granted by a sovereign (king/emperor) to a noble (like a duke or marquis) as part of the feudal system, where the noble would govern and collect taxes from that land. It was a central feature of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty's feudal system.
Zhōu周
tiān天
zǐ子
jiāng将
dà大
piàn片
tǔ土
dì地
zuò作
wéi为
fēng封
dì地
fēn分
gěi给
le了
yǒu有
gōng功
de的
zhū诸
hóu侯
。
The Zhou king granted large tracts of land as fiefs to the meritorious feudal lords.
Tā他
de的
fēng封
dì地
wù物
chǎn产
fēng丰
fù富
，
bǎi百
xìng姓
ān安
jū居
lè乐
yè业
。
His fiefdom was rich in natural resources, and the people lived and worked in peace.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Gēn根
jù据
fēng封
jiàn建
zhì制
dù度
，
fēng封
dì地
kě可
yǐ以
shì世
xí袭
。
According to the feudal system, fiefs were hereditary.