1
志第二十四百官一
Treatise 24: Officials, Part One.
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太傅太尉司徒司空将军
The Grand Tutor, the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Works, and the generalship.
3
汉之初兴，承继大乱，兵不及戢，法度草创，略依秦制，后嗣因循。 至景帝，感吴楚之难，始抑损诸侯王。 及至武帝，多所改作，然而奢广，民用匮乏。 世祖中兴，务从节约，并官省职，费减亿计，所以补复残缺，及身未改，而四海从风，中国安乐者也。
The dynasty emerged from utter turmoil: the armies had scarcely been stood down when statutes and offices were framed in haste, largely on Qin models, and succeeding reigns largely left that pattern in place. Emperor Jing, sobered by the revolt of Wu and Chu, began to pare back the power of the feudal kings. Emperor Wu refashioned much of the machinery of state, but that age's breadth and lavish spending drained the common people. When Guangwu restored the Han, he enforced austerity, merged bureaus and cut posts, and saved sums on the order of hundreds of millions of cash, mending what the wars had shattered. He held that course for life, and the realm fell into step; the heartland knew peace again.
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昔周公作《周官》，分职著明，法度相持，王室虽微，犹能久存。 今其遗书，所以观周室牧民之德既至，又其有益来事之范，殆未有所穷也。 故新汲令王隆作《小学汉官篇》，诸文倜说，较略不究。 唯班固著《百官公卿表》，记汉承秦置官本末，讫于王莽，差有条贯； 然皆孝武奢广之事，又职分未悉。 世祖节约之制，宜为常宪，故依其官簿，粗注职分，以为《百官志》。 凡置官之本及中兴所省，无因复见者，既在《汉书·百官表》，不复悉载。
Long ago the Duke of Zhou set down the Rites of Zhou, with every duty spelled out and institutions buttressing one another, so that even as royal power thinned, the dynasty endured. What survives of that text still shows how thoroughly Zhou rule tended the people and offers a pattern for later ages that admits no easy final word. Hence Wang Long, once magistrate of Xinji, composed the Elementary Han Offices—a work that wanders and abbreviates rather than exhausting the subject. Only Ban Gu's Table of Officials and Nobles traced how Han took over Qin offices from start to finish, down to Wang Mang, with something like a clear thread; yet his focus falls on Emperor Wu's expansion and luxury, and the boundaries of each post remain incompletely spelled out. Guangwu's lean institutions deserve to stand as the enduring norm; this treatise follows his official register and sketches each post's remit—hence this Treatise on Officials. Foundations of the bureaucracy and cuts made at the restoration that need no second telling already sit in the Hanshu table of offices, so they are not repeated here in full.
5
太傅，上公一人。 本注曰：掌以善导，无常职。 世祖以卓茂为太傅，薨，因省。 其后每帝初即位，辄置太傅录尚书事，薨，辄省。
Grand Tutor: one holder among the supreme dukes. Commentary: He guides the sovereign toward good conduct and has no fixed portfolio. Guangwu named Zhuo Mao Grand Tutor; when Zhuo died, the title lapsed. Thereafter each new sovereign would appoint a Grand Tutor to oversee the Masters of Writing; when that man died, the office vanished again.
6
太尉，公一人。 本注曰：掌四方兵事功课，岁尽即奏其殿最而行赏罚。 凡郊祀之事，掌亚献； 大丧则告谥南郊。 凡国有大造大疑，则与司徒、司空通而论之。 国有过事，则与二公通谏争之。 世祖即位，为大司马。 建武二十七年，改为太尉。
Grand Commandant: one at the rank of duke. He directs military affairs across the realm and, at year's end, ranks the regions for reward and punishment. At suburban sacrifices he presents the second libation; on a great imperial death he proclaims the posthumous title at the southern suburban altar. On momentous policy or unresolved state matters he deliberates jointly with the Minister of Education and the Minister of Works. When the sovereign errs, he joins the other two dukes in remonstrance. Guangwu took power as Grand Marshal. In Jianwu 27 (51 CE) it became the Grand Commandant.
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长史一人，千石。 本注曰：署诸曹事。
One chief clerk at one thousand bushels. He runs day-to-day affairs of the bureaus.
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掾史属二十四人。 本注曰：《汉旧注》东西曹掾比四百石，余掾比三百石，属比二百石，故曰公府掾，比古元士三命者也。 或曰，汉初掾史辟，皆上言之，故有秩比命士，其所不言，则为百石属。 其后皆自辟除，故通为百石云。 西曹主府史署用。 东曹主二千石长史迁除及军吏。 户曹主民户、祠祀、农桑。 奏曹主奏议事。 辞曹主辞讼事。 法曹主邮驿科程事。 尉曹主卒徒转运事。 贼曹主盗贼事。 决曹主罪法事。 兵曹主兵事。 金曹主货币、盐、铁事。 仓曹主仓谷事。 黄阁主簿录省从事。
Twenty-four attendant clerks and subordinates. Per the Old Han Commentary: East and West Bureau attendants rank at four hundred bushels equivalent, other attendants at three hundred, subordinates at two hundred—collectively the ducal mansion staff, likened to antiquity's three-ranked primordial scholar. Some say that under the early Han, nominated clerks were reported to the throne, so grades matched the ordained scholar; unreported cases counted as hundred-bushel subordinates. Later they were hired directly by the minister, and the rank settled at one hundred bushels. The West Bureau handles appointments of mansion clerks. The East Bureau handles promotions and transfers of two-thousand-bushel chief clerks and of military officers. The Household Bureau covers population registers, sacrificial rites, and farming and silk production. The Memorial Bureau drafts and debates memorials. The Petitions Bureau handles litigation and written plaints. The Law Bureau oversees courier posts, statutory rules, and procedural deadlines. The Commandant Bureau manages transport by soldiers and conscript laborers. The Bandit Bureau pursues robbery and theft. The Judgment Bureau handles criminal law. The Military Bureau oversees army matters. The Metal Bureau handles coinage, salt, and iron. The Granary Bureau manages state granaries. The Yellow Gate chief clerk keeps the roster of provincial staff.
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令史及御属二十三人。 本注曰：《汉旧注》公令史百石，自中兴以后，注不说石数。 御属主为公卿。 阁下令史主阁下威仪事。 记室令史主上章表报书记。 门令史主府门。 其余令史，各典曹文书。
Twenty-three clerks and ministerial attendants. The Old Han Commentary gives ducal clerks at one hundred bushels; after the restoration the figure is left unstated. Ministerial attendants serve as liaisons for the three dukes. Pavilion clerks manage ceremony and order below the hall. Secretariat clerks draft memorials, bulletins, and correspondence. Gate clerks guard the ministry's outer doors. Other clerks each keep their bureau's paperwork.
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司徒，公一人。 本注曰：掌人民事。 凡教民孝悌、逊顺、谦俭，养生送死之事，则议其制，建其度。 凡四方民事功课，岁尽则奏其殿最而行赏罚。 凡郊祀之事，掌省牲视氵翟，大丧则掌奉安梓宫。 凡国有大疑大事，与太尉同。 世祖即位，为大司徒，建武二十七年，去「大」。
Minister of Education: one at duke rank. He oversees matters concerning the people. He frames policy for teaching filial piety, brotherly deference, humility, frugality, and for the people's welfare from birth to burial. He ranks regional civil administration yearly for rewards and punishments. At suburban rites he inspects the sacrificial animal and the cleansing of vessels; at a state funeral he escorts and sets the imperial coffin. Great crises and weighty decisions mirror the Grand Commandant's role. Guangwu began as Grand Minister of Education; Jianwu 27 dropped the prefix "grand."
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长史一人，千石。 掾属三十一人。 令史及御属三十六人。 本注曰：世祖即位，以武帝故事置司直，居丞相府，助督录诸州，建武十八年省也。
One chief clerk at one thousand bushels. Thirty-one attendants and subordinates. Thirty-six clerks and ministerial attendants. Guangwu revived Emperor Wu's office of the Straightener in the chancellor's compound to help supervise the provinces; it was cut in Jianwu 18.
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司空，公一人。 本注曰：掌水土事。 凡营城起邑、浚沟洫、修坟防之事，则议其利，建其功。 凡四方水土功课，岁尽则奏其殿最而行赏罚。 凡郊祀之事，掌扫除、乐器，大丧则掌将校复土。 凡国有大造大疑，谏争，与太尉同。 世祖即位，为大司空，建武二十七年，去「大」。
Minister of Works: one at duke rank. He is in charge of public works and hydraulic projects. Walled cities, ditches, dikes, and levees come under his planning for utility and success. He annually ranks regional hydraulic and earthworks performance. He oversees purification, ritual music, and, at imperial burial, directs generals and colonels in the grave-filling rite. On great projects and doubts he joins the Grand Commandant in debate and remonstrance. The Founding Ancestor, when ascending the throne, was Grand Minister of Works; in the twenty-seventh year of Jianwu the word "grand" was removed.
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属长史一人，千石。 掾属二十九人。 令史及御属四十二人。
He has one subordinate chief clerk at one thousand bushels. Twenty-nine attendants and subordinates. Forty-two clerks and ministerial attendants.
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将军，不常置。 本注曰：掌征伐背叛。 比公者四：第一大将军，次骠骑将军，次车骑将军，次卫将军。 又有前、后、左、右将军。
The generalship is not a standing appointment. He commands punitive expeditions against rebellion. Four commands rank with the three dukes: Grand General first, then Palace Charging Cavalry, then Chariots and Cavalry, then Palace Guards. There are also Front, Rear, Left, and Right generals.
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初，武帝以卫青数征伐有功，以为大将军，欲尊宠之。 以古尊官唯有三公，皆将军始自秦、晋，以为卿号，故置大司马官号以冠之。 其后霍光、王凤等皆然。 成帝绥和元年，赐大司马印绶，罢将军官。 世祖中兴，吴汉以大将军为大司马，景丹为骠骑大将军，位在公下，及前、后、左、右杂号将军众多，皆主征伐，事讫皆罢。 明帝初即位，以弟东平王苍有贤才，以为骠骑将军； 以王故，位在公上，数年后罢。 章帝即位，西羌反，故以舅马防行车骑将军征之，还后罢。 和帝即位，以舅窦宪为车骑将军，征匈奴，位在公下； 还复有功，迁大将军，位在公上； 复征西羌，还免官，罢。 安帝即位，西羌寇乱，复以舅邓骘为车骑将军征之，还迁大将军，位如宪，数年复罢。 自安帝政治衰缺，始以嫡舅耿宝为大将军，常在京都。 顺帝即位，又以皇后父、兄、弟相继为大将军，如三公焉。
Emperor Wu first made Wei Qing Grand General to reward his repeated victories and signal his eminence. Traditionally only the three dukes held supreme civil rank; generalships came from Qin and Jin as minister-level commands, so the court added the Grand Marshal title to crown that authority. Later Huo Guang, Wang Feng, and others held the same arrangement. In Suhe 1 (8 BCE) Emperor Cheng granted the Grand Marshal insignia and dropped the separate general's title. At Guangwu's restoration Wu Han held Grand General merged with Grand Marshal; Jing Dan was Palace Charging Cavalry Grand General, still below ducal rank; many Front, Rear, Left, Right, and miscellaneous generals led field armies only to be disbanded when the fighting ended. Emperor Ming, seeing talent in his brother Prince Cang of Dongping, first named him Palace Charging Cavalry General; his princely blood lifted him above the dukes until the office was dropped a few years later. When the Western Qiang rose under Emperor Zhang, the emperor's uncle Ma Fang led them as acting Chariots and Cavalry General and relinquished the command afterward. Emperor He sent his uncle Dou Xian against the Xiongnu as Chariots and Cavalry General, initially below ducal rank; further victories raised him to Grand General above the dukes; a later western campaign ended with his dismissal and the command's abolition. Emperor An likewise used his uncle Deng Zhi to crush Qiang unrest as Chariots and Cavalry General, then as Grand General at Dou's former level until the post lapsed again. As An's government weakened, Geng Bao—the empress's uncle by blood—held Grand General as a resident capital post. Shun continued the pattern, raising the empress's father and brothers in turn to Grand General, coequal with the three dukes.
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长史、司马皆一人，千石。 本注曰：司马主兵，如太尉。 从事中郎二人，六百石。 本注曰：职参谋议，掾属二十九人。 令史及御属三十一人。 本注曰：此皆府员职也。 又赐官骑三十人及鼓吹。
One chief clerk and one major, both at one thousand bushels. The major commands troops on the model of the Grand Commandant. Two gentleman attendants at six hundred bushels. They counsel on strategy; there are twenty-nine subordinate attendants. Thirty-one clerks and ministerial attendants. All belong to the general's household establishment. He also receives thirty mounted escorts and a military band.
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其领军皆有部曲。 大将军营五部，部校尉一人，比二千石； 军司马一人，比千石。 部下有曲，曲有军候一人，比六百石。 曲下有屯，屯长一人，比二百石。 其不置校尉部，但军司马一人。 又有军假司马、假候，皆为副贰。 其别营领属为别部司马，其兵多少各随时宜。 门有门侯。 其余将军，置以征伐，无员职，亦有部曲、司马、军候以领兵。 其职吏部集各一人，总知营事。 兵曹掾史主兵事器械。 禀假掾史主禀假禁司。 又置外刺、刺奸，主罪法。
Every commanding general maintains regimental units. The Grand General's host forms five divisions, each with a colonel at two thousand bushels equivalent; and one army major at one thousand bushels equivalent. Each division breaks into companies, and every company has one adjutant at six hundred bushels equivalent. Companies subdivide into platoons, each led by a platoon chief at two hundred bushels equivalent. If no colonel heads a division, a single army major holds the command. Acting majors and acting adjutants serve as second-in-command throughout the chain. Detached camps answer to detached-division majors, with troop strength adjusted to circumstances. Each gate post has its own gate warden. Other generals are named only for active operations, without fixed quotas, yet each still commands through divisions, majors, and adjutants. One administrative clerk and one mustering officer jointly run the day-to-day business of the encampment. The military bureau's attendants handle arms, armor, and field matériel. The supply-and-furlough staff issue rations, regulate leave, and police camp restrictions. The command also posts external investigators and internal detectives to enforce military justice.
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明帝初置度辽将军，以卫南单于众新降有二心者，后数有不安，遂为常守。
Emperor Ming first created the General Who Crosses the Liao to watch the newly submitted Southern Shanyu followers, who still wavered in allegiance; recurring unrest soon turned the post into a standing frontier command.