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十常侍

Mandarin · pinyin shí cháng shì

Ten Permanent Functionaries at the end of Han, a byword for corruption

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Characters in this entry

十: shí · ten, tenth; complete; perfect
常: cháng · common, normal, frequent, regular
侍: shì · serve, attend upon; attendant, servant; samurai

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4 · shi2 chang2 shi4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

sap6 soeng4 si6

Cantonese word readings for 十常侍. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(archaic) the Ten regular attendants, a powerful faction of eunuchs during the reign of the Emperor Ling of Han

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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