Grand Preceptor,[1] also referred to as Grand Master,[2] was the seniormost of the Three Ducal Ministers or Excellencies, the top three civil positions of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The other two were Grand Tutor and Grand Protector. The titles and duties of these positions changed over time. The title of Grand Preceptor was revived during the later parts of the Han dynasty, notably by Dong Zhuo, then Chancellor of State.
It was also used by the Northern Yuan as a title for powerful nobles who were not part of the Chinggisid lineage.
The rank was imitated in the Confucian structure of the Vietnamese court, where the same Chinese title in Vietnamese pronunciation was known as Vietnamese: thái sư.
. To Establish Peace: being the Chronicle of the Later Han dynasty for the years 189 to 220 AD as recorded in Chapters 59 to 69 of the Zizhi tongjian of Sima Guang . . de Crespigny, Rafe . 1996 . Canberra . 978-0-7315-2526-3 . Rafe de Crespigny. Section Cp2:192 C