What does the squire mean?

It refers to a special class that is rich, educated, prestigious and has social status in the local area. It is mainly composed of some influential people in the village, such as scholars who passed the imperial examination, scholars who have not been an official or have fallen behind, local educated landlords, former officials who have been laid off or retired to their hometowns, clan elders and so on. A gentleman may be an official (become a scholar-bureaucrat) or an alternate or retired official.

Gentlemen are civilians, but they are higher than civilians; However, there are no fewer non-officials than officials. Together with officials, they are an important part of local affairs and are often called official gentry. In addition, gentlemen have the opportunity to associate with businessmen, many of whom run their own businesses. They are usually called gentleman businessmen.

Extended data

English squire:

In medieval England, "gentry" was a social stratum, and its social status was second only to that of aristocrats. Male adults of this class were called "gentlemen" at that time.

Because the traditional gentleman in China and the traditional gentleman in England have similar important positions in society and culture, this concept was adopted as the translation of "gentleman" when it was introduced in modern times.

In the traditional class analysis of British society, nobles and gentry who own land are collectively referred to as the "upper class", which corresponds to the "middle class" composed of bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie and the "lower class" composed of proletariat.

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