noun
staying in China; residing in China; being stationed in China
Obsolete term from the early 20th century, used in historical or military contexts to refer to Japanese presence in China. The kanji 支 is an old, now-offensive abbreviation for China; modern Japanese would use 在中国 or 中国駐在 instead.
戦前の資料には「在支日本大使館」という表記が見られる。
Pre-war documents contain the notation 'Japanese Embassy in China' using 在支.
祖父は若い頃、在支の軍属として働いていたと聞いた。
I heard that my grandfather worked as a civilian employee stationed in China when he was young.
Compound of 在 (ざい, 'to be in') and 支 (し, an old abbreviation for 支那 'China'). The term fell out of use after World War II due to the political sensitivity of 支那.