Hanguan yi (, âÂÂCeremonial of Han OfficesâÂÂ) is a work by Ying Shao åºÂå from the 2nd century. It is a significant historical source for understanding Han-dynasty governance.
The work describes the official system and bureaucratic structure of the Han dynasty; it is therefore often cited in works on Chinese administration and the history of that period.
Ying Shao presented in the work âÂÂa quantity of material on the conduct of the court, gathered from his own notes and recollectionsâ (Rafe de Crespigny). In the words of Chinaknowledge, the book âÂÂenumerated each office, designations, jurisdictions and duties, salaries and income, seals as well as some miscellaneous stories about the individual offices and office bearersâÂÂ.
In the Bibliographical Treatise of the Book of Sui (Suishu, Jingjizhi), it is stated: âÂÂHanguan yi, in ten juan (scrolls), composed by Ying ShaoâÂÂ. In the second year of the Jian'an era, Emperor Xian of (Eastern) Han was relocated to Xudu. As âÂÂthe old institutional regulations had been lost and written records had become rareâ (èÂÂç« å Âæ²Âï¼Âæ¸è¨Âç½ÂÃ¥ÂÂ), as the Book of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu) writes, Ying Shao deeply lamented this situation and therefore composed this work.
The Hanguan yi is regarded as the most systematic and detailed of the six works on Han officials (Hanguan liu zhong ).
The Hanyu da zidian, for example, uses the edition of the Pingjinguan congshu .