I.9 Deposition of Zhong Ren-jie

Zhong Ren-jie’s deposition (reprinted in: Jindaishi ziliao 近代史資料, Beijing, 1963, pp. 2-4). The original source of this reprinted version was a copy (chaodan 抄單 or qingdan 清單) enclosed in a memorial from the field. The enclosure (if not rescripted) was removed by the Grand Council clerks and kept with the file copy (lu-fu 錄副) of the memorial in the Grand Council files. The original memorial was sent back to the memorialist. Many depositions of this sort are preserved in the lufu dang 錄副檔 in the archives. The memorial with which this was originally enclosed must have come from the governor-general's yamen in Wuchang, where the case was originally tried. On "confessional" documents, see Reference Notes 1.4.

(Compare this deposition with the ones immediately following. What can you infer about the process by which these documents were compiled?)

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Glossary

口述 - kǒushù - oral statement

供 - gòng - deposition (Note that gong also included court depositions other than criminal "confessions")

分居 - fēnjū - live separately (as distinct from living as an "estate household", or jia)

故 - gù - died, deceased

兄弟 - xiōngdì - younger brother

過繼 - guòjì - adopt within the lineage

嗣 - sì - heir

長仔 - zhǎngzǎi - eldest son

童養媳 - tóngyǎngxí - an adopted bride (a girl adopted in childhood to serve later as bride for one of the sons)

科 - kē - an examination session (triennial)

學院 - xuéyuàn - courtesy title for Provincial Director of Education (see Reference Notes 3.2 for this post)

取進縣學文生 - qǔjìn xiànxué wénshēng - "accepted me as a licentiate in the county school"

控案 - kòng'àn - file a lawsuit

呈詞 - chéngcí - legal brief

犯案 - fàn'àn - break the law

斥革 - chìgé - cashiered (from licentiate status)

拟徒 - nǐ tú - sentenced (to)

發配 - fāpèi - penal servitude

窮苦 - qióngkǔ - poor

素好的 - suhaodi - old friend

抅 - jū - to collect

把持 - bǎchí - dominate, control (unauthorized)

錢漕 – qiáncáo – same as 錢糧, meaning tax grains 

書差 - shūchà - clerk in the local yamen, similar to shuban 書辦, shucha is a generic reference to a category of workers in government offices at all levels without any officially recognized status

搆訟 - gòusòng - to bring about litigation

使 – shi – to direct (someone to do something) 

斂收 - liǎnshǒu - collect

分肥 - fēnféi - "divide the fat" (split the profit)

總督衙門 - zǒngdū yámen - office of the governor-general

具控 - jùkòng - draw up a legal plaint

親提審問 - qīntí shěnwèn - personally try the case

兩造 - liǎngzào - both litigants

責懲 - zéchéng - punish (by)

革卯 - gémǎo - remove from the rolls

案结 - ànjié - case was closed

懷恨 - huáihèn - harbor hatred

遇事尋衅（釁）- yùshì xúnxìn - seek occasions for conflict

讐怨 - chóuyuàn - hatred and desire for revenge (a yitizi of more common 仇怨)

拆毀 - chāi huǐ - demolish; destroy

作詞 - zuòcí - draw up a legal plaint

唆使 - suōshǐ - instigate

蒙 - méng - receive (from a superior)

邀人 - yāorén - ask someone to...

挾制 - xiézhì - to compel

和息了案 - héxī liǎo'àn - make peace and end the case

糾同 - jiūtóng - gather, get together with

轉 - zhuǎn - in his turn (has the sense of doing it at someone's behest)

挨晚 - āiwǎn - dusk

燒燬 - shāohuǐ - destroy by fire

捉住 - zhuōzhù - seize

會營 - huìyíng - mobilized forces (ying may refer to a local post of Green Standard constabulary troops)

吆喝 - yāohe - berate

黎明 - límíng -dawn

支搭木板 - zhīdā mùbǎn - set up a scaffolding ("tower") of wooden boards

擁進 - yōngjìn - crowd in

拏解 - nájiě - arrest and send (to higher authorities)

氣忿 - qìfèn - angry

喝令 - hèlìng - order

據城抗拒 - jùchéng kàngjù - hold the city and resist

吩咐 - fēnfu - order

在場 - zàichǎng - at the scene

女眷 - nǚjuàn - female family members

縊 - yì - strangle, hang

典史 - diǎnshǐ - jail warden; police chief

眷屬 - juànshǔ - relatives and dependents

奪得 - duódé - seize, catch

鈐記 - qiánjì - a seal

自稱 - zìchēng - self-proclaim as...

元帥 - yuánshuài - marshal

副 - fù - vice-

頭目 - tóumù - leader; headmen

帥台 - shuàitái - marshal's platform

令旗 - lìngqí - banners of command

都督大元帥 - dūdū dà yuánshuài - commander-in-chief and grand marshal

三軍 - sānjūn - three armies (Here used to form a title indicating 'commander of all the armies')

旗號 - qíhào - mottoes on banners

勒派 - lèpài - forcibly assign or levy

相幫 - xiāngbāng - aid

符咒 - fúzhòu - charms and incantations

鳥槍 - niǎo qiāng  - musket, arquebus

相投 - xiāngtóu - turn oneself over to; join up with

入伙 - rùhuǒ - join the band

裹脅 - guǒxié - force to join up

不等 - bùděng - in unequal numbers

加砌 - jiāqì - to pile up

掘斷 - juéduàn - dig (ditches) so as to cut off

開碾倉谷 - kāiniǎn cāng'gǔ - prepare grain (lit. open the granary and husk grain) (谷＝穀）

銷毀 - xiāohuǐ - smelt down

煽惑 - shānhuò - incite and deceive/lure

藏匿 - cángnì - conceal, hide

千總 - qiānzǒng -  Company Commander

港口驛 - Gǎngkǒuyì - the courier post at Gangkou

丁四僑營卡 - Dīngsìqiáo yíngqiǎ - the military post at Dingsiqiao

不齊 - bù qí - not united

屢 - lǚ - repeatedly

轟斃 - hōngbì - killed by gunfire

脅 - xié - coerce, force

圍逼 - wéibī - surrounding (and threatening)

勢孤 - shìgū - cut off, isolated

適 - shì - at that time

預謀 - yùmóu - conspire

傳習 - chuánxí - propagate, proselytize

邪教 - xiéjiào - heterodox teaching

會名 - huìmíng - a secret-society name

虐 - nǜe - oppress

激變 - jībiàn - incite a revolt

止 - zhǐ - only

轉約 - zhuǎnyuē - recruit by proxy

脅從 - xiécóng - compel to follow

不知情 - bù zhīqíng - not know the situation