緬甸土司制度是受中國土司制度影響形成的一種政治制度,主要推行于撣人地區。東吁王朝征服撣人地區后,在沿用明朝土司制度的基礎上,結合撣人社會的特點并融入緬甸政治制度的內容,建立了緬甸的土司制度。緬甸土司制度在貢榜王朝時期得到鞏固,是近代英國在緬甸實施分治政策的基礎之一,對緬甸聯邦的構建與緬甸民族關系也產生了一定影響。緬甸土司制度不僅實現了無間斷地跨越朝代的歷史沿襲,而且跨越了國度和民族,實現了在不同的統治者間的歷史性承繼,在特定的歷史時期發揮過積極作用,對緬甸邊疆民族地區社會產生重大而深遠的影響。

The saohpa system or Tusisystem of Myanmar,mainly carried out in the Shan area,is a political system formed under the influence of Chinese Tusisystem. After conquering the Shan area,Toungoo Dynasty of Myanmar formed this system in order to accommodate the characteristics of the Shan society by learning from the Tusisystem of Ming Dynasty and the political system of ancient Myanmar. The Tusisystem was consolidated in Konbaung Dynasty,becoming one of the foundations of British dividing and ruling policy in Myanmar,and exerting significant impact on the construction of modern Burma and its ethnic relations. The Tusisystem was not only practiced uninterruptedly by different dynasties across the history of Myanmar,but also carried out by the rulers of different countries and nations,which played a positive role in the specific historical period and influenced greatly on the society of ethnic minorities and border areas in Myanmar.