Administrative Affairs - Kousho

Abbreviation or common name for Xing Zhongshu Sheng, a local governing body in the Yuan Dynasty in China. During the Yuan Dynasty, Zhongshu Sheng, the highest governing body in the central government, directly governed the Hebei, Shandong, and Shanxi regions, which were called the Fuli, but the other regions were divided into 10 regions: Henan Jiangbei, Jiangzhe, Jiangxi, Huguang, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Liaoyang, Gansu, Lingbei, and Yunnan, and each region had its own Xing Zhongshu Sheng as a branch office of the Zhongshu Sheng, which governed lower-level governing bodies in the same way as the Zhongshu Sheng. For example, in the case of Henan Jiangbei, it was officially called Henan Jiangbei Tongchu Xing Zhongshu Sheng, or Henan Xingsheng or Henan Province for short. The term "Xingsheng" was continued in the Ming dynasty, but was soon renamed "Fuseishisi". The abbreviation of "Xingsheng", "Sho" was used as a common name, and continued into the Qing dynasty. The origin of today's Chinese provinces can be found in the Xingsheng of the Yuan dynasty.

[Tetsuo Ebisawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、元(げん)代の地方統治機関である行中書省(こうちゅうしょしょう)の略称、通称。元代では中央の最高統治機関である中書省が腹裏(ふくり)とよばれた河北、山東、山西地方を直轄したが、その他の地方は、河南江北、江浙(こうせつ)、江西、湖広、陝西(せんせい)、四川(しせん)、遼陽(りょうよう)、甘粛(かんしゅく)、嶺北(れいほく)、雲南の10地方に分け、それぞれに中書省の出先機関として行中書省を配置し、中書省と同じように下級の統治機関を統轄させた。河南江北の場合を例にとると、正式には河南江北等処行中書省、略して河南行省、河南省とよばれた。行省は、明(みん)代にも継承されたが、まもなく布政使司(ふせいしし)と改められた。行省の略、省はその俗称として用いられ、清(しん)代に及んだ。今日の中国の省の起源は、元代の行省にある。

［海老澤哲雄］

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