'Sèfū' is an ancient Chinese official title referring to a low-ranking tax collector or granary supervisor during the Qin and Han dynasties. Literally, 啬 (sè) means 'to conserve' or 'to save'—originally linked to grain storage—and 夫 (fū) is an honorific or occupational suffix meaning 'man' or 'official'. Together, 啬夫 conveys the idea of a 'grain-saving man', reflecting the official’s duty to manage, store, and collect agricultural taxes efficiently.

This term appears almost exclusively in historical texts, inscriptions, and archaeological records—not in modern spoken or written Chinese. It often denotes local administrators responsible for taxation, census-taking, and minor judicial matters at the village or township level. Because it belongs to a specific bureaucratic hierarchy of early imperial China, 啬夫 is never used metaphorically today and carries no colloquial or figurative meaning. Learners will encounter it mainly in classical history lessons or epigraphic studies.