minor official; low-ranking scribe
Historical term referring to a petty official or clerk who handled writing and records, often with a connotation of low status. Not used in modern administrative contexts.
In his youth, he worked as a minor scribe at a local government office.
From Classical Chinese 刀筆之吏. 刀筆 refers to the knife used to erase writing from wooden or bamboo slips and the brush used to write on them, hence a low-ranking clerk or scribe.