Grand Preceptor

Grand Preceptor,^[1] also referred to as Grand Master,^[2] was the seniormost of the Three Ducal Ministers or Excellencies, the top three civil positions of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The other two were Grand Tutor and Grand Protector. The titles and duties of these positions changed over time. The title of Grand Preceptor was revived during the later parts of the Han dynasty, notably by Dong Zhuo, then Chancellor of State.

Grand Preceptor
Traditional Chinese	太師
Simplified Chinese	太师
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin tàishī

It was also used by the Northern Yuan as a title for powerful nobles who were not part of the Chinggisid lineage.

The rank was imitated in the Confucian structure of the Vietnamese court, where the same Chinese title in Vietnamese pronunciation was known as thái sư.

References

1. "Official Titles of the Han Dynasty: A Tentative List Compiled for The Han Dynasty History Project" (PDF). University of Washington. p. 34. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
2. de Crespigny, Rafe (1996). To Establish Peace: being the Chronicle of the Later Han dynasty for the years 189 to 220 AD as recorded in Chapters 59 to 69 of the Zizhi tongjian of Sima Guang (PDF). Canberra: Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-7315-2526-3. Section Cp2:192 C