yamen

[yah-muh n]

noun

(in the Chinese Empire) the residence or office of a public official.

Origin of yamen

1820–30; < Chinese yámen (yá office + mén gate)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for yamen

Contemporary Examples of yamen

Until recently Yamen had lived his entire life in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus.
Israel’s Murdered Teenagers and Dying Hopes for Peace
Sarah Shourd
July 1, 2014
“When I was younger I wanted to learn Hebrew,” 23-year-old Palestinian named Yamen told me recently in Amman, Jordan.
Israel’s Murdered Teenagers and Dying Hopes for Peace
Sarah Shourd
July 1, 2014

Historical Examples of yamen

The yamen is surrounded by an extensive park, in which is some good timber.
China
Sir Henry Arthur Blake
The social side of the life of a Chinese mandarin is not confined to his own yamen.
China
Sir Henry Arthur Blake
During the day a secretary arrived from the yamen to interview the Ministers.
With the Allies to Pekin
George Alfred Henty
His yamen was built in the usual Chinese style and was 316 surrounded by a wall.
Trans-Himalaya, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Sven Hedin
So my husband was just starting for the yamen to tell the tale.
Intimate China
Mrs. Archibald Little

British Dictionary definitions for yamen

yamen

noun

(in imperial China) the office or residence of a public official

Word Origin for yamen

C19: from Chinese, from ya general's office + měn gate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012