Nine Courts Explained

The Nine Courts or Ministries were nine service agencies in Imperial China that existed from the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) to the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). Headed by the Nine Ministers, the offices were subordinate to the Three Departments and Six Ministries. They were mostly ceremonial in nature and held a fair amount of power. During the Ming dynasty, the term generally referred to the Six Ministries, the Censorate, the Office of Transmission, and the Grand Court of Revision. The number of courts was not always nine throughout history.

The Nine Courts and Ministers throughout most of Chinese history were:

See also

• Five Directorates

References

• Book: Hucker, Charles O. . Charles Hucker . A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China . 177 . . 1985 .