Listen to this articlejùnxiàn 郡县
Prefectures and Counties
春秋末年至秦代逐渐形成的以郡统县的两级地方行政制度。春秋战国时期，就有一些诸侯国在新兼并的地区设置郡或县，当时郡县之间并无统属关系。秦始皇（前259—前210）统一中国后，废除了与宗法制互为表里的封建制（也称分封制），在全国范围内实行从中央到地方垂直管理的郡县制：中央统郡，郡统县；郡县的主要官员由中央直接任免；郡之长官称“守”（汉景帝更名为“太守”），县之长官称“令”或“长”。汉初实行封建制与郡县制并行，其后郡县成为常制，后来的州县制实由郡县制脱胎而来。这种行政制度强化了专制帝制，是中央集权体制的有机组成部分。
The two-tier local government administration of prefectures and counties took shape between the late Spring and Autumn Period and the early Qin Dynasty. Back in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, some kingdoms established county or prefectural administration in newly annexed areas, but the two were separate jurisdictions. When the First Emperor of Qin (259-210 BC) unified China, he abolished the feudal system that was based on consanguinity and established a vertical government system of prefectures and counties under which the central government exercised jurisdiction over prefectures, and prefectures exercised jurisdiction over counties. Heads of prefectures and counties were appointed and dismissed by the central government. The Chinese word for prefect was shou (守, changed to taishou 太守 by Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty); and a county head was called ling (令) or zhang (长). In the early Han Dynasty, both enfeoffment and the prefecture-county system were practiced. Gradually the latter prevailed. The prefecture-county system strengthened autocratic-imperial rule and was a key component of the centralized power system.
引例 Citations：
◎后之文人……以为废封建，立郡县，皆始皇之所为也。以余观之，殆不然。（顾炎武《日知录》卷二十二“郡县”）
（后世的文人……以为废除封建制、确立郡县制，都是秦始皇所为。依我看，好像不是这样。）
Later scholars believed the abolition of enfeoffment and the establishment of prefectures and counties were carried out by the First Emperor of Qin, but I don’t think so. (Gu Yanwu: Records of Daily Study)
◎商周以前，封建五等，兵遍海内，强弱相并。秦氏削平，罢侯置守，历代因袭，委政郡县。（杜佑《通典·兵》）
（商周以前，封国分为五等，诸侯都拥有军队，常恃强凌弱、相互兼并。秦始皇平定天下后，废除诸侯国，设立郡守，其后历代因袭，都采用郡县制进行统治。）
Before the Shang and Zhou dynasties, there were kingdoms of five ranks; they all had their own armies, and the strong bullied the weak and annexed their land. The First Emperor of Qin abolished the feudal kingdom system and set up prefectures. All later dynasties followed this model, adopting the government systems of prefectures and counties. (Du You: An Encyclopedic History of Institutions)
