Retainers, also known as house guests (門客; 门客; ménkè; men-k'o), invited guests (traditional Chinese: 賓客; simplified Chinese: 宾客; pinyin: bīnkè; Wade–Giles: pin-k'o) or catered guests (Chinese: 食客; pinyin: shíkè; Wade–Giles: shih-k'o), were a special social group in Ancient China from pre-Qin period to Han dynasty, who lived as dependent employees under a nobleman, an officeholder, or a powerful landlord.[1]
Retainers typically stayed long-term at the residence of the employer, catered and provisioned by the host,[2] and also obtained through him other benefits such as administrative power, reputation, upward mobility and social status.[3] In return, a retainer would serve and provide personal services to his host, usually as advisors, clerks and bodyguards, but sometimes as dedicated lieutenants or mercenaries for more dangerous tasks such as espionage, assassination and warfare. Although the bond is one of social contract, a retainer was often free to come and go outside of duty without needing permission, and he could leave the service without noticing if he felt mistreated or disapproved of the behavior of his host.[4]
^Editorial Committee of the Encyclopedia of China中国大百科全书编委会 (1986): Zhongguo dabaike quanshu中国大百科全书Encyclopedia of China. Vol. History. Beijing and Shanghai: Zhongguo dabaike quanshu chubanshe, p.50.
^Ch'ü T'ung-tsu (1972): Han Social Structure. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, p.127.
^Bao Jiashu 鲍家树 (2010): "Xian Qin 'menke' jiqi jingshen jizhi tanjiu" 先秦"门客"及其精神基质研究 [A Study of Retainers in the Pre-Qin Period and Their Spiritual Basis]. Journal of Hainan Normal University 海南师范大学报, no.5 (2010), p.142.
^Ch'ü T'ung-tsu (1972), p.129.
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