Shuoli

Overview

Shuoli was a member of the Daijia clan of the Plain White Banner during the early Qing Dynasty. Volume 29 of the officially compiled *Comprehensive Genealogy of the Manchu Clans of the Eight Banners* lists him in the Hangjia region, noting that his sixth-generation descendant Batu served as a scribe, his seventh-generation descendant Wahun served as a military officer, and Shiyin served as a principal officer during the compilation. The concluding remarks state that the family had long resided in Hangjia and submitted to the Qing Dynasty at its inception. The Plain White Banner indicates the Eight Banners organization, and Hangjia was their ancestral home.

A scribe is a transliteration of the Manchu word *bithesi*, referring to an official responsible for handling documents, including copying and translating Manchu and Chinese texts. A principal officer was an administrative position within the government, often involved in paperwork and specific duties; the two cannot be broadly categorized as the same kind of "secretary." A military officer was responsible for leading and guarding his assigned troops, a different nature from these two administrative positions.

The original genealogy records the descendants as sixth-generation and seventh-generation descendants respectively, indicating a significant generational gap in the family. This cannot be compressed into the grandson and great-grandson of Shuoli, nor can the title of Baturu be added simply based on the name Batu. The intermediate kinship chain of the sixth and seventh generations, the Hangjia place of origin, the scribes and the institutions to which the officials belonged, and the Wahun residence are yet to be verified. The known positions held by descendants are retained according to their respective eras and are not incorporated into Shuoli's personal official career.