The System of Three Departments and Six Ministries

The System of Three Departments and Six Ministries

The System of Three Departments and Six Ministries was a central administrative system in imperial China. The departments and ministries refer to the authorities responsible for exercising power. The system was established in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and improved during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), with subsequent feudal rulers making adjustments to reinforce their autocratic monarchy.

The "Three Departments" – the Central Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs – constituted the central government. The Central Secretariat drafted official documents on behalf of the emperor. The Chancellery was in charge of reviewing imperial edicts and signing off memorials to the throne and had the power to reject any documents. The Department of State Affairs, the highest administrative body responsible for implementing imperial decrees, had the "Six Ministries" under its direction, which each handled a specific brief – personnel management, finance, rites, the military, justice, and public works. With their responsibilities clearly defined, the Three Departments and Six Ministries checked and balanced one another in carrying out the functions of the state. This well-organized central administrative structure, which reflects ancient Chinese people's wisdom in governance, played an essential role as a political system in China's history.

三省六部制

三省六部制是中國古代封建社會的一套中央行政體制，三省和六部是其中的中樞權力機構和權力執行機構的總稱。三省六部制確立于隋朝，完善于唐朝，不同時期的封建統治者為加強君主專制曾進行調整和補充。

“三省”代指中央政府，分別是中書省、門下省、尚書省。其中，中書省作為中央政策、文書的制定機構，負責以皇帝名義草擬制定官方文書；門下省作為中央最重要的文書審核機構，負責審查詔令，簽署章奏，有權駁回；尚書省作為中央最高的行政事務管理機構，負責朝廷政令的執行。尚書省下設“六部”，分別為吏部、戶部、禮部、兵部、刑部、工部，分工處理具體政務。三省六部職責明確，互相牽制，履行國家不同職能。作為一套組織嚴密的中央行政體制，三省六部制集中體現了中國古人的管理智慧，成為后來中國歷史上的一項重要政治制度。