What is a eunuch?

Eunuch, also known as eunuch, usually refers to a neutral person who lost sexual ability after castration in ancient China. They are officials who serve emperors, monarchs and their families. Also known as temple people, eunuchs, eunuchs, officials, middle officials, internal officials, internal ministers, internal servants, internal supervisors and so on.

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Usually refers to men who lost their sexual ability after their testicles were cut off in ancient China. They are officials who serve emperors, monarchs and their families.

Eunuchs were called "eunuchs" after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and the higher-ranking internal supervisors were called "eunuchs". Tang Gaozong changed the palace province to the imperial palace, and took eunuchs as eunuchs, with less supervision. In the Ming Dynasty, eunuchs became more and more powerful, so people regarded all eunuchs as "eunuchs" and eunuchs became synonymous with eunuchs.

According to records, not all eunuchs in the pre-Qin and Western Han Dynasties in China were eunuchs; Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, eunuchs have been used ("It is not complicated for eunuchs to learn from eunuchs and transfer other officials", which is from the preface of "Biography of Officials in the Later Han Dynasty"). This is because there are many women in the palace, from the empress dowager, imperial concubine, empress dowager, concubines to maids. If waiters are allowed in and out, it is inevitable that the palace curtains will be messy. Therefore, other adult men are not allowed to work in the palace.

Eunuch has many names in China ancient books, such as middle official, eunuch, official, servant, official, eunuch, Zhongjun, Zhongzong, Zhonggui and Neichen.

In the history of China, before the demise of feudal society, there were not many times when there were no eunuchs. As slaves of the emperor and queen, eunuchs supported the splendor of the grand platform of the palace and made the rulers in the palace have comfortable living conditions.

Ordinary people want to become eunuchs, they must first castrate, that is, cut off their genitals. This is called "clean body", which makes them "six incomplete" people. Eunuchs who have been castrated since childhood have not developed secondary sexual characteristics in adolescence, that is, they have no beard, Adam's apple and voice change process, so their voices are sharper than those of ordinary men.

Actually, eunuchs are not a specialty of China. There were eunuchs in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Turkey, Korea and even the whole of Asia. However, the eunuch system occupies considerable weight in the history of China.

In the long feudal social history of China, eunuchs not only dabbled in the life of princes and nobles, high officials and dignitaries, but also dabbled in complex political struggles. In China before the Revolution of 1911, the decline of dynasties was mostly related to eunuch rebellion, and the collapse of Han, Tang and Ming dynasties was directly related to eunuch tyranny.