be an official; serve in government
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to serve as a government official; to hold office
archaicLiterary and archaic usage (marked with 〈书〉). Refers specifically to serving in the imperial bureaucracy or government service. Often used to describe hereditary official families or the scholar-official class in historical contexts.
Tā他
jiā家
shì世
dài代
shì仕
huàn宦
。
His family has produced government officials for generations.
Shì仕
huàn宦
zǐ子
dì弟
wǎng往
wǎng往
jiē接
shòu受
liáng良
hǎo好
de的
jiào教
yù育
。
Children from official families often received excellent educations.
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Zài在
gǔ古
dài代
，
shì仕
huàn宦
shì是
dú读
shū书
rén人
de的
zhòng重
yào要
chū出
lù路
。
In ancient times, serving as an official was an important career path for scholars.