遷

Relocation or transfer, typically denoting a systemic or structural shift from one established position, office, or location to another.

• Administrative/Political: Used for the relocation of a capital (遷都) or seat of government, and the transfer of officials.
• Abstract/Extended: A transition of state, including death, viewed as a relocation from one realm of existence to another.

• vs. 移 (yí): While both involve movement, 移 generally refers to displacement, shifting position, or changing direction; 遷 implies a more permanent relocation or a change in status resulting from that move.
• vs. 變 (biàn): Where 變 emphasizes the process of change or mutation, 遷 emphasizes the transition from one state or stage to another.

Tang-period reading: *tsiɛn.

In the context of personnel transfers, 遷 is valence-neutral; it indicates a change in post but does not inherently signal whether the move is a promotion, a demotion, or a lateral transfer. The translator must look to surrounding modifiers to determine the nature of the appointment.