司

The exercise of delegated jurisdiction; the practical management of a specific domain (as distinguished from abstract power or sovereign rule).

• Verb: To manage, oversee, or take charge of. Usage typically implies an official appointment and action performed by authority within a legal or traditional framework.
• Noun (Person): An officer, functionary, or manager.
• Noun (Institution): A bureau, department, or administrative office.

• vs. 管: While both involve control, 司 is more formal and institutional, whereas 管 often implies supervision, monitoring, or containment.
• vs. 理: 司 concerns the administration of an office or domain; 理 concerns the "ordering" or "arranging" of a matter (the logic or details).

The noun sense referring to an institution (bureau/department) becomes more prominent in later periods, whereas the sense referring to a person (officer) is primary in earlier strata of texts.

• In specialized titles (e.g., 司徒 Sītú, 司空 Sīkōng), 司 functions as a marker of jurisdiction, effectively meaning "the one in charge of [X]," transforming the following noun into a professional office.
• When encountered in lists of titles, distinguish between the individual holding the seal and the administrative unit itself.