Shori

A person who cooperates with government politics as a commoner. In old China, they were officials working at the lower levels of the yamen (government offices) and were called rixu, shuli, riren, or simply ri. The origin is in the government officials of the Han dynasty, who were separated by a hierarchical hierarchy from the higher-ranking langguan officials. During the period of aristocratic politics centered around the Six Dynasties, higher-ranking government officials were monopolized by aristocrats, making it even more difficult for officials from lower family status to advance in their careers. The term 'xuli' also appears in the Liang dynasty of the Six Dynasties. The emphasis on clans continued into the Tang dynasty, but in the Song dynasty, with the popularity of the imperial examinations, a new intellectual class called dokushinjin (readers) and shitaifu (scholars) was formed, from which conflict arose between officials appointed by the central government and the xu-li (scholars commissioned by the officials) who worked at the lower levels of the yamen. The equivalent of a bureaucratic department in the yamen was called a bang or an, and there was a head xu-li who trained subordinate xu-li through an apprenticeship system and employed them. They did not receive a salary, but supported themselves by collecting fees from the people for each administrative task, which made this prone to problems, but it also had the advantage of low labor costs. After the establishment of the Republic of China (1912), the xu-li disappeared, and a new bureaucratic system was created.

[Miyazaki City]

In Korea, local government officials are called "go-ri" or "yazen." The origin of go-ri is unclear, but in the early Goryeo Dynasty, local nobles were appointed to the post, and they were given titles such as household head by the state, and carried out the practical aspects of local governance under the orders of local officials. In addition, the children of go-ri were obliged to travel to the capital to serve in the capital. The central government officials were also from the same class as the go-ri, and go-ri were the rulers of local society. As centralization progressed and the rule of the yangban (yangban) was established, the status of go-ri was gradually lowered, and in the Yi Dynasty, except in special cases, the path to becoming a bureaucrat through the civil service examination was closed. In this way, go-ri was fixed in a status of performing the practical aspects of local administration, and restrictions were placed on the clothing and crowns. However, go-ri was also involved in the politics of local government officials, and was the ruler of the people.

[Mitsuo Yoshida]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

庶民の資格で官の政治に協力する人。旧中国では衙門(がもん)（官庁）の下層に勤務する吏員で、吏胥、書吏、吏人、また単に吏ともよばれる。起源は漢代の令吏にあり、令吏は上層の郎官との間に階層的な断絶があった。六朝(りくちょう)を中心とする門閥貴族政治の時代には、上位の官は貴族に独占され、低い家格から出た吏員の出世はいっそう困難となった。胥吏の語も六朝の梁(りょう)から現れる。門閥の重視は唐代まで続くが、宋(そう)代になり科挙の盛行に伴って新たに読書人、士大夫(したいふ)などと称せられる知識階級が成立し、そのなかから中央政府によって任命された官員と、官の委嘱によって衙門の下層で働く胥吏との対立が生じた。衙門の局課にあたるものを房または案と称し、1人の胥吏頭がいて徒弟制度で部下の胥吏を養成して使役した。彼らは俸給を受けず、人民から事務処理ごとに手数料をとって自活するので弊害が生じやすかったが、人件費が安くつくという長所もあった。中華民国の成立（1912）以後胥吏は消滅し、新しい官僚機構がつくられた。

［宮崎市定］

　朝鮮では地方官庁の胥吏を郷吏、あるいは衙前という。郷吏の起源は不明であるが、高麗(こうらい)初期には地方豪族が就任し、国家から戸長などの爵号を授与され、地方官の命令を受けて地方支配の実務を遂行した。また郷吏の子弟には上京従仕の義務があった。中央官僚も彼らと同一階層の出身であって、郷吏は地方社会の支配者であった。中央集権化が進行し両班(ヤンバン)支配が確立していく過程でしだいに郷吏の地位は低下し、李朝(りちょう)時代になると、特別の場合を除き郷吏が科挙を通って官僚になる道が閉ざされた。こうして郷吏は地方行政の末端実務を職役とする身分に固定され、服装や冠にも制限を加えられた。しかし、郷吏は地方官の政治にも関与し、民衆に対しては支配者であった。

［吉田光男］

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