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(guó)古代封建社會(huì)的一套中央行政體制，三省和六部是其中的中樞權(quán)力機(jī)構(gòu)和權(quán)力執(zhí)行機(jī)構(gòu)的總稱。三省六部制確立于隋朝，完善于唐朝，不同時(shí)期的封建統(tǒng)治者為加強(qiáng)君主專制曾進(jìn)行調(diào)整和補(bǔ)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(jī)構(gòu)，負(fù)責(zé)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(jī)構(gòu)，負(fù)責(zé)審查詔令，簽署章奏，有權(quán)駁回；尚書省作為中央最高的行政事務(wù)管理機(jī)構(gòu)，負(fù)責(zé)朝廷政令的執(zhí)行。尚書省下設(shè)“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(wù)。三省六部職責(zé)明確，互相牽制，履行國(guó)家不同職能。作為一套組織嚴(yán)密的中央行政體制，三省六部制集中體現(xiàn)了中國(guó)古人的管理智慧，成為后來(lái)中國(guó)歷史上的一項(xiàng)重要政治制度。