Chapter 4 Section 2 The Examination System of Taixue in the Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system, but adopted Confucian ideas in education, reaffirmed the role of education in nurturing talents and transforming people, and regarded education as an important tool to consolidate the "unification" of the Han Dynasty.During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, with the maturity of political, economic and ideological conditions, "removing a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", "setting the Five Classics (referring to the Confucian classics "Poetry", "Li", "Yi", "Spring and Autumn" were gradually implemented. ) doctor", "creating Taixue", "establishing the investigation system" and other policies.

In order to cultivate and select political talents who are proficient in Confucian classics and can "respect kings and Minglun", Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the suggestions of Dong Zhongshu and Gongsun Hong, and issued an edict in the fifth year of Yuanshuo (124 BC) to set up Taixue in Chang'an Doctoral students (that is, Tai students).After the establishment of Taixue, Taixue became an educational institution under the landlord bureaucratic government for "cultivating talents and raising scholars".After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, with the political, economic, and cultural development of the Han Dynasty, Taixue education also developed greatly.When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty founded Taixue, there were only 50 Taixue students. During Emperor Zhaodi of Han Dynasty, the number of Taixue students increased to 100, Emperor Xuandi of Han Dynasty increased to more than 200, Emperor Yuan Dynasty of Han Dynasty increased to 1000, and Emperor Han Chengdi increased to 3000.During the reign of Emperor Ping of the Han Dynasty, Wang Mang assisted the government and built a school building for Tai students in the fourth year of Yuanshi (AD 4), which can accommodate tens of thousands of Tai students.In the fifth year of Jianwu in the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 29), Taixue was rebuilt outside the south gate of Luoyang. There was a lecture hall in the school, and there were four stone scriptures in front of the gate.The capital formed the Tai School District.Taixue had an unprecedented grand occasion.After Emperor Shun, Taixue developed to its heyday, with as many as 30,000 students, and even the Huns and other ethnic minorities also sent their children to school.This grand occasion is rare in the history of ancient education in the world.

The teachers of Taixue in the Han Dynasty were called Doctors.In the Han Dynasty, each Confucian classic had a doctorate.During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there were seven doctors, the number of doctors was expanded to 14 during the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, and the number of doctors was increased to 15 during the reign of Emperor Han Yuan.During the reign of Emperor Ping of the Han Dynasty, the Five Classics were added to the Six Classics, with five doctors in each classic, and a total of 30 doctors.Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty appointed 14 doctors of Confucian classics, all led by Jijiu.Jijiu is equivalent to the principal of Taixue, and Taichang selects a highly respected doctor as the post.The basic conditions for being a doctor are: being well-versed in ancient and modern times, familiar with a hundred schools of thought, profound knowledge, noble morals, decent style, abiding by the laws of teachers and families, rich teaching experience, and good health.In the Western Han Dynasty, doctors were selected through enlistment or recommendation; in the Eastern Han Dynasty, doctors were selected through examinations, and grassroots governments were required to write "recommendation certificates."Examination doctor, presided over by Taichang himself.For example, Fu Gongjing of the Eastern Han Dynasty "Taichang tested the classics first, worshiping the doctor".Candidates for the Ph.D. examination must be over 50 years old.If the test taker is found to be unqualified, he or she may be dismissed or expelled.For example, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Xuan was the first in the pen test and worshiped as a doctor, but later found that he did not respect the family law and had deviant behavior, so he was dismissed.Yang Ren passed the examination and became a doctor, but later found out that he was under 50 years old, so Emperor Ming of Han appointed him as the guard order of Beigong.

Students of Taixue in the Han Dynasty were called "disciples of doctors" or "disciples" in the Western Han Dynasty, and "Zhusheng" or "Students of the Taixue" in the Eastern Han Dynasty.Sources of students: one is directly selected by Taichang in the capital and localities; the other is sent by counties, countries, roads and other places.The criteria for selecting Tai students are based on virtue and talent, and also on appearance. Taixue in the Han Dynasty paid great attention to examinations and formulated a very strict examination system.In a sense, Taixue in the Han Dynasty was not only the highest institution of learning in the country, but also the examination institution of the country.The examinations of Taixue in the Han Dynasty had two functions: one was to discover talents through the examinations, select talents, and enrich the ranks of officials of the Han Dynasty; the other was to pass the examinations to urge students to learn Confucian classics.Dong Zhongshu suggested to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in "Countermeasures for Promoting the Virtuous": "The greatest supporter of scholars is the Taixue. Taixue, the focus of wise men, and the origin of education... I hope that your majesty will promote Taixue and set it up. A wise teacher, to raise the people of the world, to make the best use of their talents by numbering examinations, and to be handsome." It means: There is nothing more important in cultivating talents than running the Imperial College well. the origin.He hoped that the emperor would set up the Taixue, hire excellent teachers to educate the world's talents, and often question them to develop their talents, so that handsome talents can be obtained.

When Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty founded Taixue, it was stipulated that Taixue students took an exam every year, which was called "year-old exam".In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the exam was changed to every two years.There are the following methods for the Taixue examination in the Han Dynasty: "Shece" is an examination method commonly used by Taixue in the Han Dynasty, which was founded in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. "Hanshu Rulin Biography" said: "Since Emperor Wu set up a doctor of the Five Classics, opened disciples, set up subjects and policies, and persuaded officials to pay." The specific method is: the examiner asks some questions according to the content of the Confucianism The difficulty level of these questions is divided into two grades, A and B, and then write these questions on silk or paper and seal them up, and the subjects will choose one or two of them at will to answer.This method is similar to the lottery method we use now.The content focuses on the interpretation and elucidation of the meaning of Confucian classics.The examiner judges the academic performance according to the students' answers, and those who pass the grades are awarded the corresponding official positions.However, each subject stipulates a small number of officials.

In the 14th year of Yongyuan (AD 102), Sikong Xu Fang of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote a letter requesting the improvement of the examination method. He believed that "sheci" should not be used. The reason is that it is the most basic teaching material and all candidates should be familiar with it.The so-called "political test" means that the teacher will assign 50 questions in advance according to the family rules and sentences, and the students who answer more and better will be rated as "top", and "the sixth person in each of the five classics" will be announced on the list. As a basis for government employment.

"Han Shu Rulin Biography" contains: "Tang Sheng and Chu Sheng should be selected by the disciples of Dr. Dr., and they picked up their clothes to go to the hall. The etiquette is very strict. There is a law for trying to recite." The "oral test" test method. These examination methods were carried out until the end of the Western Han Dynasty. There were some minor changes in Wang Mang's time. He still took the test every year, increased the number of admissions, and changed it to three subjects: A, B, and C.In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the first and second subjects were restored.With the expansion of the scale of Taixue, the examination system has also undergone some changes.Since the time of Emperor Han Zhi, there is no distinction between A and B, and only "Gaodi", that is, the best one.Later, the number of supplementary officials was increased.In the first year of Jianhe (147 A.D.) of Emperor Huan of the Han Dynasty, the number of recruits was still expanded from among Tai students, and the best candidates in the examination were ranked into fourth grades, recommended by Tai Xue to the government, and then awarded official positions, that is, the 15th highest and the 15th highest. 16 people are "doctors", the 17th person is "Prince Sheren", and the 17th person is "Wang Jialang".In the second year of Emperor Huan's Yongshou (AD 156), he went a step further, adopting the "two-year-old one test", abolishing the limit on the number of admissions, and determining the ranks based on the number of masters, and awarding officials accordingly. The method of directly linking government allocation is implemented as a system.The specific method is: Tai students can take the exam after two years of study. The five classics are used as the scope of the proposition, and the order is divided according to the number of classics that can be mastered.Those who have mastered the two classics will be awarded the official position of "Literary History", and they are also allowed not to be an official and continue to study, and take a higher-level exam after two years.Those who have mastered the three classics will be awarded the official position of "Prince Sheren", and they are also allowed to stop being an official and continue to study. After two years, they will take the exam for mastering the four classics.Those who master the Four Classics will be awarded the official position of "Doctor".And so on, until Broadcom Pentateuch.Taixue graduates who have been officials can also take the exam as a basis for further promotion.This method of selecting talents through examinations is desirable.This is also very effective in encouraging Tai students to continue to study Confucian classics and develop general talents.Most of the imperial students in the Western Han Dynasty could only specialize in the first Confucian classics, while the imperial students in the Eastern Han Dynasty gradually mastered the second, third, fourth, and even five classics, and some of them could also master modern and ancient Chinese. Confucianism of all families".

Taixue in the Han Dynasty paid more attention to examinations, which made students concentrate on studying and concentrating on classics, and cultivated many talents.For example, the famous thinker Wang Chong, the famous mathematician Cui Yuan, the famous scientist Zhang Heng, the famous Confucianist Zheng Xuan, etc., were all students of Taixue and studied in Taixue for many years.This shows that the Taixue examination system in the Han Dynasty did play a positive role.Taixue in the Han Dynasty was not only a teaching institution but also an examination institution representing the country, which encouraged young people to study on their own, and given certain qualifications and honors to talents outside the school after passing the examination, which is also worthy of recognition.However, because the teaching system of Taixue in the Han Dynasty was not very strict and blindly relied on examinations, it also brought many disadvantages.The Han Dynasty passed the Taixue Examination, encouraged students to study Confucian classics, and gave political outlets. After passing the exam, they could become officials and enjoy glory and wealth.The tedious chapters and sentences of Confucian classics have fettered the minds of intellectuals.Emphasizing "teacher's law" and "family law" has also deepened sectarian views and hampered the development of academics.If a master of a certain scripture is affirmed by the imperial court, he will be established as a doctor, and the scriptures of this scripture teacher will become "teachers".Passed down by disciples, it is not divided into chapters and sentences, and it becomes "family law", so there are several schools of classics.Doctors of Taixue can only be taught according to the "teacher's law" and "family law", and the Taixue students are assessed based on this. Those who violate the "teacher's law" and "family law" will not pass the exam.The Taixue examination system in the Han Dynasty often required students to memorize by rote, which could not cultivate students' thinking ability and creativity.

In the Han Dynasty, Taixue had no age limit. Students who failed to pass the exam in one year were allowed to take the next year's exam. In this way, the exams continued year after year. There were often some old students in the Taixue who were admitted at a young age and did not pass the exam until their hair turned gray.These old students are eager to pass the exam one day, get the emperor's "gift" and enter the officialdom.In the fifth year of Emperor Xiping of the Han Ling (AD 176), more than a hundred old students who were over 60 years old were specially given the opportunity to take the exam, and those who passed the exam were given official positions.In the fourth year of Chuping (AD 193), Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty even gave them the official position of "Prince Sheren" to take care of those old students who "entered school with children and returned with empty heads".At that time, there were the following folk songs in Chang'an City, which truly described this situation:

The head is white and bright, and there is not enough food.Wrap your clothes and put on your clothes, and you should return to your hometown.The holy master minced [min min] to read it, and used it to make up for him.The homes are commoner clothes, and the quilts are dark yellow. In addition, local prefecture and state schools in the Han Dynasty also conducted examinations on Confucian classics and awarded officials according to their merits.For example, Wuwei County School has the behavior of "excellent and prosperous" for students who "have mastered the chapters and sentences", so that "the county has elegant scholars" ("Hou Han Shu·Ren Yan Zhuan").Liu Liang, the mayor of Beixin City, and Luanba, the prefect of Guiyang, both held the examination of "Testing the Palace of Strategies" and "promoted according to ability" ("Book of the Later Han·Biography of Wenyuan", "Book of the Later Han·Luanba").The prefectures also have Mingjing examinations, that is, the prefectures pay their students to the capital for examinations. There are A and B subjects, which are similar to the A and B subjects in Taixue.The County Guoming Classics Examination was established outside of Taixue to take care of self-taught scholars and private students in remote states and counties.During the Jianhe period of Emperor Huan (147-149 A.D.), the "Bijun Guoming Classical Examination" was also set up, which was a supplement to the selection of scholars at the age of Taixue. Both Taixue and Junguo school students had to take the exam.Although the examination and promotion of the county schools in the Han Dynasty was not institutionalized and there was no unified standard, there is no doubt that the county schools adopted the examination system.

In short, the Taixue examination system in the Han Dynasty promoted the Confucianization of the bureaucracy in the Han Dynasty.At the same time, it also promoted the reproduction and prosperity of Confucian classics, as Ban Gu praised in "Han Shu Biography of Scholars": "Since Emperor Wu established a doctor of the Five Classics, opened disciples, set up disciplines and policies, and persuaded officials to pay, and ended at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. There are more than a hundred people. In the past few years, those who passed on the practice flourished, and the branches and leaves flourished. Once it was said to more than a million words, and the number of masters reached more than a thousand, the way of Gai Luli is the same!"