Abstract
“Dai shi yuan” 待事掾 (an officer waiting for assignment) was a type of official that can be seen in stele inscriptions from the Eastern Han to Western Jin dynasties. The publication of the Eastern Han bamboo slips from Wuyi Square in recent years has provided new information on the activities of this official, which in turn have sparked debate over its exact nature. This article analyzes the role and characteristics of “dai shi yuan” from related materials in the Wuyi Square slips and argues that it was an official without a specific position, or “sanli” 散吏. That is not to say it was an idle position, rather being an active officer who frequently attended various duties as the situation required. Officials with the title of “dai shi yuan,” for example, were sometimes dispatched as messengers by chief officials to oversee subordinate units, namely ensuring that orders were being carried out according to the will of their superiors. By better understanding the nature of “dai shi yuan” as well as the processes of how and why they were dispatched, we are able to not only further our knowledge of both the title itself and how it developed but also apprehend the task groupings in local governments at that time.
Keywords
“dai shi yuan”; Eastern Han bamboo slips from Wuyi Square; “sanli” (officials with no fixed duties); external supervisor; messengers
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