About eunuchs

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Eunuch, also known as eunuch, father-in-law, temple gate, eunuch and eunuch, refers to castrated men who served the royal family in China during the feudal period. A eunuch is a man whose genitals are castrated when he enters the palace. Eunuchs' duty is mainly to maintain the normal operation of the court's logistics affairs. In principle, they are not allowed to participate in state affairs, but in some dynasties, eunuchs also have the power to control state affairs.

It is not unique to China to use castrated men as court attendants. Egypt, Persia, India and other ancient civilizations have done the same. It is also recorded in the New Testament that eunuchs from Ethiopia preached the gospel in Africa. In English, the word eunuch is transformed from the Greek word "bed-keeper", which shows that eunuchs were originally designed to protect the chastity of harem and the royal blood at home and abroad.

[Editor] China's eunuch

In China, the word "convex knife" appeared in Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Shang Dynasty, and its meaning was similar to castration, indicating that people were castrated at that time; But there is no record that they are court attendants. The use of eunuchs began in the records of the Western Zhou Dynasty. In Zhou Li, there is a saying that "the palace is kept inside, and it is rejected by humanity". At that time, eunuchs were regarded as "temple people", "inner vertical people" and "people", but their numbers were small and their status was low. They are only responsible for handyman, messenger and so on, which is a kind of retainer. With the development of autocratic monarchy, in the Warring States and the Qin Dynasty, the number of prisoners increased greatly, and the institutions that used eunuchs also increased, and eunuchs began to take power.

In the Han Dynasty, people who waited on the emperor were called "officials" or "eunuchs". It is said that the name comes from a constellation called "Guan" in the vault next to the Emperor of Heaven. By the Eastern Han Dynasty, all eunuchs had to use eunuchs, and it was the first time that a large-scale eunuch came to power. Later, in the late Tang Dynasty, large-scale eunuchs came to power again. As for the term "eunuch", it first appeared in Liao Dynasty. Originally, it was called a senior government position, not necessarily appointed by eunuchs. In the Ming Dynasty, there were twelve prisons and twenty-four yamen in the imperial court, and the leaders were eunuchs, all of whom were eunuchs. So "eunuch" became the title of senior eunuch, and later became the general name of eunuch. Eunuchs reached their peak in the Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were tens of thousands of eunuchs all over the court, and spies with eunuchs were distributed all over the country. In the Qing Dynasty, eunuchs were called eunuchs. The Qing dynasty had very strict control over eunuchs. One or two favored eunuchs were removed late, and eunuchs did not play politics.

【 The source of the eunuch

The original source of eunuchs is castrated prisoners. When eunuchs have the opportunity to take power, some people begin to be castrated because they are eunuchs. After the Sui Dynasty, castration was abolished as a formal punishment, and eunuchs should mostly be castrated voluntarily. In the Ming dynasty, except some foreign children (such as Zheng He) were castrated as eunuchs; Most of them are castrated voluntarily. The castration of eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty should have been the duty of the imperial court, and the people were forbidden to castrate themselves. But this ban has never been seriously implemented. In the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there were a large number of people who could not enter the palace or be eunuchs after castration, which was called nameless white.

【 China famous eunuch.

The Story Of Diu Sim: Eunuch of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period. He castrated himself to show his loyalty to Qi Huangong. And Qi Huangong didn't listen to Guan Zhong's last words because of this matter. His cronies were Yi Ya and The Story Of Diu Sim. When Huan Gong was critically ill, he was in chaos, covered his face with sleeves and died. After that, the five sons of Huan Gong competed for the succession to the throne, and no one collected the body for Huan Gong.

Zhao Gao: Eunuch of Qin Dynasty. After the death of Qin Shihuang, he was in power and called the deer a horse.

Cai Lun: (about 63 years-12 1 year), a eunuch in the Eastern Han Dynasty, is said to be the inventor of paper.

Zhang rang: the first of ten regular attendants in the eastern Han dynasty.

Huang Hao: Eunuch of Shu and Han in the Three Kingdoms Period. In The Romance of Three Kingdoms, Liu Chan ignored his political affairs because he listened to his words.

Gao Lishi: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was a darling. It is said that Li Bai will take off his boots when he is drunk.

Li: The eunuch in power, the first eunuch prime minister.

Yu Chaoen: A eunuch from the Tang Dynasty.

Tong Guan: Eunuch in Song Dynasty; It once appeared in the novel Water Margin.

Zheng He: (137 1 year-1435), the eunuch of Sambo, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was a maritime explorer.

Wang Zhen: The first eunuch in power in Ming Dynasty led to the change of civil affairs, and Ming Yingzong was captured.

Liu Jin: The eunuch of the Ming Dynasty came to power and was later executed by Ling Chi.

Wei Zhongxian: Eunuch of the Ming Dynasty, famous for his corruption in state affairs.

An Dehai: Empress Dowager Cixi of Qing Dynasty. After leaving Beijing to handle the goods, he was arrested and beheaded by Shandong Governor Ding Baozhen.

Li: Another eunuch after An Dehai.