The ancient imperial examination system in China originated from the Sui Dynasty. After the Sui Dynasty unified the whole country, Emperor Wendi of Sui Dynasty decentralized the power of selecting officials to the central government in order to adapt to the development and changes of feudal economic and political relations, expand the requirements of the feudal ruling class to participate in political power, and strengthen centralization, and replaced the nine-product system with the imperial examination system. According to historical records, in the first month of the third year of Emperor Wendi's reign (583), he wrote a letter to "Virtue". In July of the eighteenth year (598), Beijing officials were awarded more than five grades, the General Staff Department and the secretariat of history, and they also held two imperial examinations, namely "serious practice" and "clearing the air to help the economy". In April of the third year of Yang Di the Great's great cause (607), he ordered all the officials in the civil and military departments to be filial and virtuous, honest and upright, resolute and upright, persevering in the Constitution, being excellent in character and learning, being beautiful in literature and talent, and being able to achieve great things. In the first month of the fifth year of the Great Cause (609), all counties were ordered to take four imperial examinations: erudite and talented, arrogant and strong, detached and equal, diligent and prudent, and upright and not avoiding strong defense. Although these are temporary recruitment methods and have not yet formed a system, the embryonic form of the imperial examination system has been formed with the characteristics of recruiting people by subjects. During the great cause years, Yang Di also set up two subjects, Ming Jing and Jinshi, which marked the birth of the imperial examination system.
The word "Jinshi" first appeared in the Book of Rites, which was originally intended to be accepted by nobles. At that time, the main test of current affairs strategy was a political paper about the political life of the country at that time, which was called test strategy. Although it was a pioneering period, there was no system, but this method of selecting candidates by subjects and trying to choose by strategy closely combined reading, taking exams and being an official, which opened a new page in the election history of China. Shen Jiji, the minister of rites in Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, made a pertinent evaluation of this historic change: "All the choices made in the previous generation were in prefectures and counties ... As for Qi and Sui, they were invincible ... and they were attributed to the official department because they had the right to buy state capitals. Since then, we have selected from outside, recruited people from all over the world, gathered in the capital in the spring and autumn, and gathered clouds. "
▲ Tang Dynasty-the perfection of the imperial examination system in ancient China
After the Tang Emperor overthrew the rule of the Sui Dynasty, he inherited the talent selection system handed down from the Sui Dynasty and further improved it. As a result, the imperial examination system gradually improved. Tang Taizong, Wu Zetian and Tang Xuanzong are key figures in improving the imperial examination system. Examination subjects in the Tang Dynasty are divided into two categories: regular subjects and system subjects. The exams held in stages every year are called regular classes, and the temporary exams held by the emperor are called making classes.
There are more than 50 regular subjects such as Scholar, Ming Jing, Jinshi, Gentleman, Faming, Zi Ming and Shu Ming. Among them, Faming, Shu Ming, Ziming and other subjects are not taken seriously. Scholar and other subjects are not often held, and the scholar subject was very demanding in the early Tang Dynasty, and then it was gradually cancelled. Therefore, Ming Jing and Jinshi became the main subjects in the Tang Dynasty. After Tang Gaozong, Jinshi is particularly important. Many prime ministers in the Tang Dynasty were mostly literati. There are two sources of candidates for regular courses, one is students and the other is rural tribute. Subjects who were born in the capital and state and county academies and sent to Shangshu Province are called students; Not by the school hall, but by the state and county examination first, and then sent to Shangshu Province, the candidates are called "xianggong". Candidates who pay tribute to Beijing from rural areas are collectively referred to as juren. The state and county exams are called solution exams, and the provincial exams of Shangshu are generally called provincial exams, or they are not tested. Ritual exams are held in spring, so they are also called Chunwei, which means examination room.
At first, Ming Jing and Jinshi were just trying strategies, and the content of the exam was Jing Yi or current affairs. Later, although the examination subjects of the two subjects changed, the basic spirit was that scholars paid more attention to poetry and fu, and Ming Classics paid more attention to classics and ink meaning. The so-called paste is to open a page of scripture at will, cover the left and right sides, only open a line in the middle, and then cover the three words with paper paste for participants to fill in. Mo Yi is a simple written test of biblical words. As long as you are familiar with classics and annotations, you can try, while poetry and prose need to be literary. It is very difficult to be the first in the middle school, so there was a saying at that time that "30-year-old students learn classics and 50-year-old students learn less".
The final exam was originally presided over by the official minister and foreign minister, and later presided over by the assistant minister of does, known as "Quan Zhi Gong Ju". Jinshi is also called "climbing the dragon gate", and the first name is the champion or champion. People in the same list should chip in to hold a celebration party, and let the two teenagers in the same list go to the famous garden to explore famous flowers, called flower-exploring messengers. We should collectively go to the apricot garden to attend a banquet, which is called a flower-exploring banquet. After the banquet, they all went to Jean Temple to write an inscription for the Big Wild Goose Pagoda to show their glory, so they called the China scholar "the inscription for the Big Wild Goose Pagoda". Jiao once wrote the poem "After Graduation": "Proud horseshoe disease, I have seen Chang 'an flowers." Therefore, the spring breeze has become synonymous with Jinshi and it. Deng Ke is often the first, and it is also tested by the official department, which is called the selection examination. Only qualified people can be awarded official positions. Liu Zongyuan, a great scholar in the Tang Dynasty, was awarded "Jixiantang Orthography" because of his erudition. If the official department fails in the exam, it can only go to our department as an adjutant, and then strive to get an official position officially appointed by the state. After Han Yu's Jinshi exam, he failed three times, so he had to be the adjutant of our times before he entered the officialdom.
The draft in the Tang Dynasty depends not only on the test results, but also on the recommendations of various people. As a result, candidates rushed to the doors of officials and dedicated their masterpieces to them, calling them papers. What is thrown to does is called official paper, and what is thrown to dignitaries is called writing paper. Throwing papers really makes talented people show their talents. For example, Bai Juyi's poem "Give Grass to the Original" to Gu Kuang was highly praised by the old poet. However, there are also many people who practise fraud and deceive the world. Emperor Taizong attached importance to the cultivation and selection of talents. After he acceded to the throne, he vigorously expanded the scale of Chinese studies, expanded schools and increased the number of students.
In February of the first year of Wu Zetian, the queen personally "asked to pay tribute to Luocheng Hall", which was the beginning of the imperial examination in China, but it did not form a system in the Tang Dynasty.
In the Tang Dynasty, martial arts also appeared. Wushu began in 702 AD when Wu Zetian was in Chang 'an for two years. Ying Wuju candidates are "xianggong", Ministry of War examination. The examination subjects include horse shooting, step shooting, flat shooting, carbine, weight wrestling and so on. "The person with the highest ranking is awarded an official position and then promoted to a higher level."
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, poetry and prose fu became the main examination content of Jinshi. During his reign, he personally interviewed candidates for imperial examinations in Chang 'an and Luoyang Palace for eight times and admitted many talents.
▲ Song Dynasty-the reform period of the imperial examination system in ancient China
The imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty were basically the same as those in the Tang Dynasty, including general subjects, compulsory subjects and martial arts subjects. In contrast, the number of regular subjects in the Song Dynasty was greatly reduced compared with that in the Tang Dynasty, among which Jinshi was still the most important, and most of the first-class Jinshi could be prime ministers, so the Song people took Jinshi as prime ministers. Lu Song Zuqian said: "The subjects of Jinshi are often the same and extremely obvious." At that time, there was the language of burning incense and Jinshi. Except for Jinshi, other subjects are collectively referred to as subjects. The imperial examinations in Song Dynasty were greatly reformed in form and content.
First of all, the imperial examination in Song Dynasty broadened the scope and function of admission. Jinshi in Song Dynasty was divided into three classes: the first class was called Jinshi and Jinshi; Second-class said that Jinshi was born; A third-class scholar. Due to the expansion of the admission scope, the number of places has also doubled. In the Tang Dynasty, there were no more than 20 or 30 scholars, ranging from a few to more than a dozen. As many as 200 to 300 people, or even 500 to 600 people, were admitted at one time in the Song Dynasty. Candidates who fail the exam repeatedly are allowed to sign up for the attached exam when they meet the emperor's exam, which is called the special name. You can also ask the emperor to have mercy, grant birth qualifications and appoint officials to set a precedent for future generations.
The Song Dynasty established a three-level examination system once every three years. There was only a two-level examination system in the early Song Dynasty. The first level is the solution exam held by each state, and the first level is the provincial exam held by the Ministry of Rites. In order to select talents who were really down-to-earth under feudal rule to serve them, Song Taizu conducted the imperial examination in Kaibao for six years. Since then, palace examination has become the highest-level examination in the imperial examination system, and a three-level imperial examination system of national examination, provincial examination and palace examination has been formally established. After the court examination, you don't need to pass the official examination, and you can directly award the official. Song Taizu also ordered that after the examination, no examiner should be called a master, and no one should call himself a protege. In this way, all the people became disciples of the son of heaven. The court exam ranked in the top three. After the Southern Song Dynasty, the emperor announced the ranking of Jinshi in the imperial examination and hosted a banquet for Qiongyuan, so it was called Qionglin Banquet, which was followed and customized by later generations. The imperial examination in Song Dynasty was once a year at first, sometimes once a year or twice a year. It took three years for Yingzong to officially make it once every three years. Every autumn, each state takes the exam once, and the next spring, the exam is conducted by the Ministry of Ritual. Palace examination and provincial examination were conducted in the same year.
Since the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination began to paste and copy names, and a new system was established to prevent favoritism and malpractice. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the phenomenon of favoritism and malpractice has become more and more serious. In this regard, the rulers of the Song Dynasty took some measures, mainly to establish a system of pasting names and transliteration. Sticking the name means sealing the candidate's name and place of origin on the test paper, which is also called "seal" or "seal". In Song Taizong, according to Chen Jing's suggestion, the court examination was given a paste name system. Later, Song Renzong's provincial and state examinations implemented a paste name system. But after posting the name, you can also know calligraphy and painting. According to the suggestion of Li Yibin, a native of Yuanzhou, candidates' papers will be copied separately. When marking papers, examiners not only don't know the names of candidates, but also can't recognize their handwriting. This system has really played a great role in preventing examiners from favoritism. However, at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, due to the increasingly corrupt politics, this system became a mere formality. The reform of examination form in Song Dynasty not only did not get rid of the chronic disease of imperial examination, but made it worse.
The imperial examination in the Song Dynasty also made great reforms in the examination content. The imperial examination in Song Dynasty basically followed the Tang system, and scholars attached classics, ink and poetry to the imperial examination, which had great disadvantages. Scholars take phonology as their service, ignorant in ancient and modern times; Ming Jing only memorizes and recites widely, but its meaning is useless learning. After Wang Anshi took part in politics, he began to reform the contents of the imperial examination, abolish poetry and fu, attach classics and ink meaning, and pay attention to selecting scholars through righteousness, reason and strategy. The so-called Confucian classics, similar to theory, is a short essay, which is limited to using the sentences in Confucian classics as the topic and using the meaning in Confucian classics to play. Wang Anshi's reform of examination content lies in the application of Confucian classics. In the eighth year of Xining, Song Shenzong ordered the abolition of poetry and fu, the posting of scriptures, and the selection of scholars by ink, and awarded Wang Anshi's New Meanings of Three Classics and On Choosing Scholars. The Book of Changes, The Book of Songs, Zhou Li and The Book of Rites are called great classics, while The Analects of Confucius and Mencius are called concurrently classics, and they are designated as required books for scholars. It is stipulated that there are four examinations for Jinshi: one is the Great Classics, the other is the Two Classics, the third is the Theory, and the last is the Strategy. The palace exam is limited to 1000 words or more. Wang Anshi's political reform was opposed by Su Shi and others. Later, with the change of political struggle, the new meanings of the Three Classics were cancelled, and sometimes poetry and prose were tested, sometimes classics were tested, and sometimes both were changed.
The scientific examination in Song Dynasty is divided into three levels: solution examination (state examination), provincial examination (organized by the Ministry of Rites) and palace examination. The solution exam is conducted by all localities, and those who pass the exam can go to Beijing to take the provincial exam. The provincial examination was held in the hospital in Hiran for three days. In order to prevent cheating, the examiner is appointed temporarily and served by many people. After the examiner is appointed, he should go to Hiram's Hospital immediately and not communicate with the outside world. This is called locking the hospital. Candidates should be seated accordingly after arriving at the Hiram's Hospital, and are not allowed to leave the venue like examiners. The test paper should be pasted and transcribed and corrected by many people. The entrance examination was held in the palace, presided over by the emperor himself, and made a name for himself. Since the Song Dynasty, all scholars who entered palace examination were given official positions, and they did not need to be selected by the official department.
During the Song Dynasty, there were 1 18 courses. Take more than twenty thousand Jinshi.
Yuan dynasty (1206- 1368)
Mongolians don't pay attention to opening departments and taking officials. After the demise of the Song Dynasty, the imperial examination was not held until the second year of Injong Yanyou in the Yuan Dynasty (13 15).
The imperial examination system in the Yuan Dynasty basically followed the Song Dynasty, with the theme of "Jing" and "Jing". Imperial examinations are divided into local provincial examinations, general examinations in the capital and court examinations. In the Yuan Dynasty, only one subject was tested in the imperial examination, but it was divided into about two lists. On the right list are Mongolian and Semu exams; There are only two exams in the township entrance examination, and the requirements are relatively simple. The left list was taken by Han people and southerners, and there were three provincial exams, which were relatively strict. The list of candidates who have obtained the rural examination and the general examination is distributed by race.
During the end of the Yuan Dynasty, from Injong to Shun Di, imperial examinations were held 16 times, with more than 0/000 people enrolled in the imperial examinations. However, the talents selected by imperial examinations in the Yuan Dynasty usually did not get enough attention and had little influence in the Yuan government.
▲ Ming Dynasty-the heyday of ancient Chinese imperial examination system
Since the Yuan Dynasty, Mongols ruled the Central Plains, and the imperial examinations entered a middle and low period. However, it is a precedent set by the Yuan Dynasty to test scholars with four books.
After the demise of the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty was established and the imperial examination system entered its heyday. The rulers of the Ming Dynasty attached great importance to imperial examinations, and their methods were more rigorous than those of previous dynasties.
Before the Ming Dynasty, the school was only one of the ways to transport candidates for the imperial examination. In the Ming dynasty, becoming an official became the only way for the imperial examination. People who entered imperial academy to study in the Ming Dynasty were generally called Guo Jianzi. There are generally four kinds of supervisors: those who send students to prison for study, those who send bureaucratic children to prison, those who send people to prison, and those who donate money to prison. Guo-zi-jian diploma can be an official directly. Especially in the early Ming Dynasty, many officials were appointed by Guo Jianzi as central and local officials. After the Ming Dynasty became a ancestor, Guo Jianzi had fewer and fewer opportunities to be an official directly, but he could directly take the provincial examination and pass the imperial examination to become an official.
In addition to the students in Guo Jian, there are also those who take the imperial examinations in the provincial examinations. Only when you enter school and become a student can you go to prison or become a student in the imperial examination. In the Ming Dynasty, Fuzhou County School was called County School or Confucianism. Those who pass the examinations at all levels in this province and enter government, state and county schools are generally called students and scholars. The entrance examination for obtaining students' qualifications is called children's examination, also known as test or test. Delivery test includes three stages: county test, government test and hospital test. The college examination is presided over by the provincial academic affairs office, also known as the prefect college, so it is called the college examination. Those who pass the college entrance examination are called students, and then they are divided into official, state and county schools to study. Students are divided into three grades: students, students, and students. The food provided by the government is called foodie, or foodie for short. Those who increase beyond the quota are called co-opted students, and the branch is called proliferation; In addition to the growth of students, the number of places will be increased, which is attached to the end of students and is called an attached student, and the branch is called an attached student. Getting a bachelor's degree is the starting point of fame. On the one hand, students from schools in various prefectures, prefectures and counties were selected as palace students, and they could go directly to imperial academy to become children. On the one hand, provincial academic promotion officers hold two-level examinations, namely, annual examination and science examination, which are divided into six grades according to the results. Ranked first and second in scientific research, those who are eligible to take the provincial examination are called imperial examination students. Therefore, admission is the first level of the imperial examination ladder.
The imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty were divided into three levels: after having obtained a local exam, the senior high school entrance examination and palace examination. The rural examination is a local examination held by the southern and northern Zhili provinces and ministries. The location is in the south, where the Beijing government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are stationed. Held once every three years, it is every child, noon, Mao, and unitary years, also known as. The examination place is called Gong Yuan. The examination period is in August of autumn, so it is also called Autumn Wei. Candidates and invigilators in this province can take the exam. There are two examiners, four co-examiners, one transfer, and several other officials who preside over the provincial examination. The exam was divided into three sessions, which were held on August 9th,12nd and15th respectively. Jurors in rural areas are commonly known as Lian Xiao, and their first name is Xie Yuan. Tang Yin won the first place after having obtained the provincial examination, so he was called Tang Jieyuan. After passing the provincial examination, it is called B list, also called B section. When the list was released, it was sweet-scented osmanthus, so it was also called Guibang. After the announcement, the governor presided over a banquet. During the dinner, Luming Literature was sung and Kuixing Dance was performed.
The examination is a national examination presided over by the Ministry of Rites, also known as the Ministry of Rites. It was held in the second year of the rural examination, that is, every day, every day and every year. The national juren will take the exam in Beijing, and the exam time is in February of spring, so it is called the end of spring. There are also three exams, held on February 9th,12nd and15th. Because the final exam is a higher-level exam, the number of examiners is twice that of the provincial exam. Officials such as examiners, examiners and transfer officials are all senior officials. The examiner is called the chairman, also known as the seat owner or seat teacher. Gong, commonly known as Gong Chu, is called Mingjing, and his first name is Huiyuan.
The palace exam was held in the same year after the meeting, and the time was originally the first day of March. Ming Xianzong changed to March 15th from eight years ago. The candidate is Gong. The palace test did not fail, but was rescheduled by the emperor. The court exam was presided over by Angel, who only took the current affairs exam. After the palace exam, I will read the papers the next day and release the results the next day. Admission is divided into three classes: first-class and third-class, which are given to Jinshi and Ding Yuan respectively. The first one is the champion, the second one is the second one, and the third one is the flower exploration, which is collectively called Sandingjia. Second, I am a scholar, and third, I am a scholar. Second, the first of the top three is called biography. A, B and A are collectively referred to as Jinshi. Jinshi list is called Jiabang, or Jiake. The Jinshi list is written in yellow paper, so it is called Huang Jia, also known as the Golden List, and the sergeant base is called the champion.
After having obtained the provincial examination, the first place was Xie Yuan, and the first place was Hui Yuan. Together with the number one scholar in the palace examination, it is called the three principles. Three yuan in a row is a much-told story in the imperial examination field. In the Ming Dynasty, only Guan Xu in Hongwu period and Shang Lu in orthodox period participated in the tripartite confrontation.
After the court examination, the champion awarded imperial academy the editor-in-chief, the second prize and the flower detective editor-in-chief. The rest of the Jinshi passed the exam, known as Jishi Shu of the Imperial Academy. Three years later, those who pass the examination are awarded the positions of editor, reviewer and so on, and the rest are assigned to the ministries as directors, or the magistrate of a county gives priority to employment, which is called scattered libraries. People born in Jishi Shu are promoted very quickly. After Yingzong, the imperial court formed a situation that Jinshi or Hanlin did not enter the cabinet.
Eight-part essay in the first session of the rural examination and unified examination in Ming Dynasty. Whether you can be admitted depends mainly on the quality of the eight-part essay. Therefore, ordinary readers often spend their whole lives on eight-part essays. Eight-part essay takes the sentences in the Four Books and Five Classics as the topic, and can only explain the meaning according to the meaning of the topic. The wording should be in the tone of the ancients, that is, the so-called generation of sages. The format is also dead. The structure has certain procedures, the number of words is limited, and the syntax requires duality. Eight-part essay is also called Zhi Yi, Zhi Yi, Shi Wen, Barbie and Si. Eight-part essay is an article composed of eight pairs, generally divided into six paragraphs. Use the first sentence to solve the problem, two sentences to bear the problem, and then explain the reason, that is, the origin. The main part of the eight-part essay consists of four parts: initial sharing, middle sharing, post-sharing and binding sharing, each of which has two paragraphs. At the end of the article, a big knot is used, which is called a big knot. Eight-part essay evolved from Confucian classics in Song Dynasty. Eight-part essay is extremely harmful and seriously binds people's thoughts. It is a tool to maintain feudal autocracy, and it also leads the imperial examination system itself into a dead end. Gu, a famous scholar in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, said indignantly: "Eight-part writing is flourishing, six classics are weak, eighteen are flourishing, and twenty-one is abolished." He added, "I think stereotyped writing is more harmful than burning books."
▲ Qing Dynasty-the demise of the imperial examination system in ancient China
The imperial examination system in the Qing Dynasty was basically the same as that in the Ming Dynasty, but the policy of ethnic discrimination was implemented. Manchu people enjoy all kinds of privileges, and it is not necessary to pass the imperial examination to be an official. Before Yongzheng, the imperial examinations in Qing Dynasty were divided into two lists: Manchu and Chinese. The standard-bearer enjoys a special advantage in the provincial examination and the general examination, and only one translator is tested, which is called the translation department. In the future, although Manchu and Chinese took the exam together, Han people still took the most exams.
The imperial examination system developed to the Qing dynasty, and it declined day by day, with more and more disadvantages. Although the Qing rulers severely punished cheating in the imperial examination, cheating became more and more serious due to the shortcomings of the imperial examination system itself, and the imperial examination system eventually died out.
In order to qualify for the official imperial examination, the Qing people had to take the children's examination first. Those who take the children's exam are called Confucian scholars or children's students, and they are called students after entering school (there are official schools, state schools and county schools in Qing Dynasty, collectively referred to as Confucianism). Confucianism and Confucius Temple are called Gong Xue together. Students are disciplined by instructors (professors, scholars, teachers and instructors) as soon as they enter the school. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, students were still studying in Gong Xue (there were monthly classes and quarterly exams, which later became a name), also known as earning a living, commonly known as scholars. This is the starting point of "fame".
There are three kinds of students: the best student is Lin Sheng, who has a certain quota and is fed by the government; Secondly, there is diffusion, but there are also some places; The new "students" are called affiliated students. Every year, students will take political exams, and they will rise and fall in turn according to their grades.
The imperial examination is divided into three grades: after having obtained the township examination, the senior high school entrance examination and palace examination.
After getting the exam, it is usually held every three years in the provincial capital, also known as Dabi. Because it is held in autumn, it is also called Qiu Wei. Scholars (students) take the provincial examination, but before taking the provincial examination, scholars must pass the scientific examination held by the provincial government, and only those with excellent grades can be selected to take the provincial examination. After having obtained the provincial examination, it was called Juren, and its first name was Xie Yuan.
In the spring of the second year after having obtained the provincial examination, the examination was held in the department of rites, so it was also called Li Wei and Chunwei. The person who took the exam was Juren. After he won the exam, he was called Gong, and his first name was Huiyuan. After the exam, there is usually a second interview.
The above exams are mainly about eight-part essay and poetry. The title of the eight-part essay comes from the four books and five classics, which is slightly similar to the Confucian classics in the Song Dynasty, but the wording should be the tone of the ancients, the so-called generation of sages. The structure has certain procedures, the number of words is limited, and the syntax requires parallelism, also known as Babiwen, Shi Wen, Shi Yi and Zhi Yi.
Gong Kao is the emperor's examiner, and Kao Ce asked. Gong Shi participated in the palace test, and after winning the prize, they were collectively referred to as Jinshi. The palace exam is divided into three levels of admission. The first one is for Jinshi and, the second one is for Jinshi origin, and the third one is for Jinshi origin. The first one admitted three students, the first one is commonly known as the number one scholar, the second one is commonly known as the second one, and the third one is commonly known as Tan Hua, which is collectively called Sandingjia. Second place, first place, commonly known as biography.
The champion was awarded editing by the Hanlin Academy, and the second prize and flower exploration were awarded editing by the Confucian Academy. The rest of the Jinshi took part in the imperial examination and studied the poems and fu written by the imperial edict. Jishi Shu, who is good at literature and calligraphy, was chosen, and the rest were awarded to the headmaster (staff of various ministries) and magistrate of a county (in fact, to get the position of headmaster and magistrate of a county, you need candidates and alternates, and you can't be an official for life). Jishi Shu held a "three-year-old" exam at the end of his three-year study in the special church (also known as the ordinary church) in imperial academy. Those with outstanding achievements were awarded the editor by imperial academy (originally the second-class editor in imperial academy and the third-class editor in imperial academy), and the rest were assigned to the ministries as principals or provincial magistrates.
The fragment of "Fan Jinzhong Residence" is selected from the third episode of "The Scholars", "Zhou Xuedao School's scholar pulls out the real talent, and Hu's murder stops the good news". This time, I wrote a story about Jin Fan's success. This novel describes Zhou Jin who studied Taoism in Guangdong. When he took office in Guangzhou, he first took two exams for students. After two exams, students from Nanhai and Panyu counties took the exam for the third time. There was Jin Fan in childhood. Jin Fan took part in the exam and won the first place. People call him "xianggong" After entering the school, Jin Fan wants to further test people. After being admitted to Juren, people will call him a "master".
Zhongju is a process of imperial examination. Before commenting on this story, let's briefly introduce the imperial examination system in Qing Dynasty.
The imperial examination system in Qing dynasty was divided into two stages, one was the preliminary examination of the imperial examination, and the other was the formal examination of the imperial examination. There are three kinds of initial examinations of imperial examinations, one is called children's examination, the other is called age examination, and the other is called science examination. Children's test, also known as "intelligence test". When a boy begins to take the first test, he is called a "boy". After a certain examination and selection, you can be called a "scholar" if you go to the county to take the exam. Jin Fan worked as a male student for many years, and finally he was admitted to a scholar. Scholars take the exam once a year, which is also a process of merit-based admission. This is the so-called "annual exam". I have to take a big exam every three years, which is called "Science Exam". Take the exam once every three years, mainly to recommend candidates for the exam. If you pass the nomination of this exam, you are eligible to take the juren exam. Jin Fan just caught up with the children's exam, which was also the year of the first exam. He was admitted to the Children's Day Champion, so he was naturally qualified to take the Juren Examination. This is the first test of the imperial examination.
Then there is the official imperial examination, which also has three types: after the provincial examination, after the provincial examination, and the court examination. After having obtained the provincial examinations, it is held once every three years, that is, in August of the fourth year of Zi, Mao, Wu and You. Passing the provincial examination is called juren, and juren is actually an alternate official who is qualified to be an official. According to the imperial examination system in Qing dynasty, juren can register with the official department, obtain a certain official position and become a county official. Of course, this position is very few, and the number of people is about 40 to 130 every year. There are few places on the jury, so there are even fewer people waiting to be officials on the jury, so there are often alternate officers. This is the first rural exam. The next step is to try. Following the provincial examination, the examination was held in February of the following year. After the township entrance examination, it will be spring in August of the first year and February of the second year. When I went to Beijing to take the exam, it was called the "spring exam", which was the exam. Once admitted, they are called Jinshi, and there are about 300 places for Jinshi every year. After the final exam, in the second month after the final exam, about April, there will be the third exam, the palace exam. Palace examination was personally tested by the emperor in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. After he passed the exam, he was appointed as a scholar in the imperial examination, and he can directly enter the official position.
The content of the imperial examination is mainly eight-part essay. Eight-part essay mainly examines the contents of Confucian classics, poems, books, rites, changes and the Spring and Autumn Period, and chooses certain topics to write in the Five Classics. The title and writing style have certain formats. Stereotyped writing has four paragraphs, and each paragraph must have a parallelism sentence. A paragraph with parallelism is called four strokes, and later it is called eight shares. Eight-part essay was very important at that time, which was related to whether a person could be promoted or not, and whether he could be promoted in the imperial examination. Therefore, it is said in the novel: "Today, the article is heavy, and it is not necessary to talk about Han and Tang Dynasties." "Han" refers to the articles of the Han Dynasty, while "Tang" refers to the Tang poems, articles of the Han Dynasty and poems and songs of the Tang Dynasty, which are not as important as the eight-part essay valued by emperors today. Eight-part essay was very important at that time. So people at that time were preoccupied with eight-part essay, and only eight-part essay could knock on the door of imperial examination.