Historical term for an official messenger or envoy, often in a governmental or military context. Rare in modern usage outside historical references.
平安時代には、朝廷の使が地方へ派遣された。
In the Heian period, imperial messengers were dispatched to the provinces.
police and judicial chief (Heian and Kamakura periods)
Abbreviation of 検非違使 (kebiishi), the imperial police and judicial officials of the Heian and Kamakura periods. Used only in historical contexts.
See also: 検非違使
klesha; defilement; affliction
Buddhist term for mental afflictions or polluting thoughts (greed, hatred, delusion) that cause suffering. Technical and domain-specific.
See also: 煩悩
The king dispatched an envoy to the neighboring country.
In old documents, 使 appears as an abbreviation for kebiishi.
In Buddhism, the three poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion are sometimes called 使 (klesha).
検非違使 is the full historical title for the Heian-period police and judicial official, and 使 is simply its abbreviated form.
煩悩 is the everyday Buddhist term for mental defilements, while 使 is a rarer, more technical synonym used in doctrinal texts.
use; utilization; application
angel
exercise; use; invoke
ambassador
mission; errand · task; duty; obligation
make full use of; command freely; utilize skillfully · work someone hard; drive someone on
apostle; disciple
messenger; envoy; emissary
The kanji 使 originally means 'to use' or 'to send on a mission,' leading to the historical 'messenger' sense. The Buddhist sense is a specialized borrowing from Chinese Buddhist texts.
employee; servant
exploitation; overuse; abuse
labor and management
special envoy; special emissary
purpose of expenditure; how money is used; use of funds
envoy; delegate; mission
setting to work; employment; using · causative
servant; domestic worker
minister; envoy; diplomat below ambassador
secret messenger; secret envoy
imperial envoy; imperial messenger
causative auxiliary verb (archaic) · permissive auxiliary verb (archaic) · honorific strengthening auxiliary (archaic) · humble strengthening auxiliary (archaic)
police and judicial chief (Heian and Kamakura periods)
envoy to Tang China
shogun's envoy; emissary
servant; janitor; messenger
giving orders and making use of someone · servant; person under orders
instigation; incitement
sending a messenger to present gifts
envoy; diplomatic messenger
special messenger; another messenger