Erqin of the Irgen Gioro Clan

Lineage and early record

Erqin belonged to the Irgen Gioro clan of the Plain Blue Banner. The family was associated with the historical Hada region and joined the Manchu polity in its early period. Volume 14 of the *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Eight Banner Manchu Clans* does not identify an office held by Erqin personally, but provides a useful record of the positions occupied by later family members.

Sons, grandsons and later descendants

His son Wohe formerly held an unspecified seventh-rank appointment; because neither the office nor the subdivision of the rank is supplied, he should not automatically be described as a military officer. Another son, Feiyanggu, formerly served as a *qianfengxiao* in the Vanguard. Among the grandsons, Lasali formerly served as a third-class *huwei*, a guard attached in many contexts to a princely establishment, and Ajigen as a *fangyu* or Defence Officer. A third-class *huwei* is not interchangeable with a third-class imperial *shiwei*.

Further descendants included Fushou, formerly a *xiaoqixiao*; Serguleng, formerly a deputy Banner commander (*fudutong*); Decheng, listed as an *yinsheng*; Dase, a serving *hujunxiao*; and Sehe, a serving *bitieshi*. The status of *yinsheng* signified educational eligibility obtained through family privilege, not an appointment to government office. *Bitieshi* was a clerical position.

Source limitations

No single line of promotion connects these relatives' appointments, and the offices cannot be credited to Erqin. The genealogy does not establish every paternal relationship, Wohe's precise title, Decheng's basis for admission, or the years of service. Hada is a historical geographical designation, not an independently established modern street or village address.