清代州县书吏探析

The Exploration on the Department Clerks of Counties in the Qing Dynasty

在清代,州县书吏是州县行政不可或缺的。州县书吏制度虽甚完善,但其州县实践与表达却不完全相符。书吏的类别和数量远超制度规定。书吏职责因房而异,各房内部分工合作,而各房之间由于利益存在职权之争。州县书吏由身家清白之良民充任,且有五年任期,但常常出现买卖和垄断现象。

In the Qing dynasty,the department clerks of the counties were indispensable to the administration.The system for the department clerks was very perfect,but its practice was not entirely consistent with its expression.The categories and quantity of the clerks exceeded the regulations of the system.clerks’ duties varied in different offices,and clerks in each office arranged the work and cooperated with each other,but there was power struggle as the result of the office benefits.The department clerks came from the good and innocent persons with a decent family back ground for a term of five years.But it was common that there was trade and monopoly in appointing the officals.