Situ was one of the highest ranking government offices in ancient China. Established in the Western Zhou dynasty, it was originally written as 司土 ( pinyin: Sītǔ), meaning Administrator of Land. [1] [2]
During the Han dynasty, the title became written with the different characters 司徒 ( pinyin: Sītú; lit. 'Administrator of people'), which is translated variously as Minister over the Masses [3] or Excellency over the Masses. [4] It was one of the three most important official posts during the Han dynasty, called the Three Excellencies. The nominal salary for the post was 20,000 dàn (石) of grain. [5]
The title is the origin of the surname Situ.