宦

huàn

宀 + 臣

Definitions

huàn surname Huan

huàn imperial official; court eunuch

Etymology

A minister 臣 in a statehouse 宀

About

宦 (huàn) combines 宀 (roof or building) above, suggesting a house or official residence, and 臣 (minister or servant) below, which originally depicted a captive or servant bowing. Together they convey a servant within a household. The character first referred to a servant or official who lived and worked in a royal or aristocratic estate. Over time, the meaning narrowed to government officials and bureaucrats, and later came to designate eunuchs who served inside the imperial palace.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

宦官照顾皇帝的生活。

Huànguān zhàogù huángdì de shēnghuó.

Eunuchs take care of the emperor's life.

古代宦官不能结婚。

Gǔdài huànguān bù néng jiéhūn.

In ancient times, eunuchs could not marry.

他的宦途很顺利。

Tā de huàn tú hěn shùnlì.

His official career is very smooth.

宦官的权力有时很大。

Huànguān de quánlì yǒu shí hěn dà.

The power of eunuchs was sometimes very great.

他厌倦了宦海生活。

Tā yànjuàn le huàn hǎi shēnghuó.

He is tired of life in officialdom.

他辞去官职，告别宦海。

Tā cí qù guānzhí, gàobié huàn hǎi.

He resigned from his official position and bid farewell to officialdom.

在宦海中，他始终保持清廉。

Zài huàn hǎi zhōng, tā shǐzhōng bǎochí qīnglián.

In officialdom, he always remained incorruptible.

宦海沉浮，他看透了名利。

Huàn hǎi chén fú, tā kàn tòu le míng lì.

In the ups and downs of officialdom, he saw through fame and fortune.

Related Characters

Component: 宀

Component: 臣

宦