Nine Courts

Nine Courts (九寺 ( Jiǔ Sì)) is a general term referring to the 9 top service agencies in the central government in imperial China from the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) to the Qing dynasty (1636–1912). The number of courts in the group, however, was not always nine throughout the two millennia.

The nine courts throughout most of history were:

• Court of Imperial Sacrifices (太常寺)
• Court of Imperial Entertainments (光祿寺)
• Court of the Imperial Clan (宗正寺 or 宗人府)
• Court of the Imperial Stud (太僕寺)
• Court of the Imperial Treasury (太府寺)
• Court of the Imperial Regalia (衛尉寺)
• Court of State Ceremonial (鴻臚寺)
• Court of the National Granaries (司農寺)
• Court of Judicature and Revision (大理寺)

In general the nine courts were under the supervision of the Three Departments and Six Ministries.