1. the system of government by mandarins; a bureaucratic ruling class or administrative system
Usage: historical; formal
2. the collective body of mandarins or high-ranking government officials
Usage: historical; formal

Examples

• The Chinese mandarinate dominated imperial administration for centuries.
• Critics argued that the new mandarinate was disconnected from ordinary citizens.
• The examination system was central to the traditional mandarinate.
• Reformers sought to modernize the old mandarinate structure.
• The mandarinate’s influence extended throughout the empire.
• Scholars studied the rise and fall of the imperial mandarinate.