What is the difference between Western eunuchs and Chinese eunuchs?

Not only did ancient China have eunuchs, but Western royal families also had no shortage of eunuchs. However, it seems that eunuchs in the West suffered less physical pain when castrated.

This is a topic that makes countless men sweat. In ancient times, there was a special profession, which was eunuchs. Before the Sui and Tang dynasties, they were called "eunuchs" , and after the Sui and Tang dynasties, they were called "eunuchs". The rulers of ancient feudal times, in order to ensure the chastity of their concubines, did not allow men to appear in the harem, but there were jobs that women could not complete, so this "eunuch" profession was born .

In addition to ancient China, imperial countries such as Persia in the Middle East, Egypt in Africa, Eastern Rome and the Ottoman Empire in Europe also had large eunuch populations, and their histories were no less ancient than China's. The most similar thing is that eunuchs in different countries, like China, played an important role in history.

According to historical records, eunuchs first appeared around 2000 BC in the Mesopotamia region, almost accompanying the entire development of human history. The ancient Egyptians used many eunuchs to serve the Pharaoh and the royal family. They believed that after a man was castrated, his masculine characteristics would be lost, whether it was his temperament or ambition, it would also decrease, and his ability to threaten would also be significantly reduced.

In addition to ancient China, imperial countries such as Persia in the Middle East, Egypt in Africa, and Eastern Roman and Ottoman Europe also had large eunuch populations.

Of course, the most important thing is that they lose their reproductive ability, so they will not cause their master to be cuckolded, thus ensuring the purity of the royal bloodline. However, there is a big difference between Chinese and foreign eunuchs. Chinese eunuchs will have their entire genitals removed, while eunuchs in countries like ancient Egypt or Eastern Rome will only have their testicles removed. Why is that?

Actually, it was a technical issue. In the early days of the ancient Egyptian empire , eunuchs were also completely circumcised, but the mortality rate was extremely high, up to 60%, making the number of eunuchs insufficient to meet the demand. Therefore, to ensure the number, they used the method of only removing the testicles.

In China before the Western Han Dynasty, eunuchs only had their testicles removed, but later, due to the development of medical technology and the decrease in the death rate caused by castration, they were gradually removed completely. By the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the death rate caused by castration had dropped to a very low level, and many poor laborers even took the initiative to send their children to the palace to become eunuchs to make a living.

Contrary to what the rulers thought, eunuchs, when they lost their ability to reproduce, did not lose their ambition . On the contrary, they craved power and money even more. In addition, many princes were taken care of by eunuchs since childhood, so they trusted and relied on them even more. Therefore, throughout history, there have been many eunuchs who abused their power, also known as eunuchs .

Eunuchs lose their reproductive ability but do not lose their ambition.

From Zhao Gao of the Qin Dynasty to Li Lianying of the Qing Dynasty, and the "Ten Regular Attendants" of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Gou Shiliang of the Tang Dynasty, Wei Zhongxian of the Ming Dynasty, etc., there was no one who did not have ambitions for power and money. Especially in the latter half of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor was just a puppet in the hands of eunuchs. There were a total of 7 emperors who were all established by eunuchs, and 2 were murdered by eunuchs.

In modern cinema, the image of eunuchs has been "processed" more, becoming villains with great martial arts skills, who do all kinds of evil. The appearance of eunuchs conforms to the trend of history, and also gradually disappears from history with the development of the times.

In life, we often use eunuchs to make fun of, but if for example we were unlucky enough to be born in ancient times of hardship and were sent to the palace by our parents to become eunuchs, most people would find it difficult to climb to the pinnacle of power, and could only temporarily survive in the dangerous palace.