Chapter 10 Section 4 The Subjects and Methods of the Imperial Examinations in the Tang Dynasty

There were many subjects in the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty, and the subjects were not the same in different periods. There were no fewer than dozens of subjects before and after.Among them, the permanent subjects are: Xiucai, Jinshi, Mingjing, Mingfa, Mingzi, Mingshu, One History, Three History, Kaiyuan Ceremony, Boy, Daoju and other subjects.In addition, there are system subjects and martial arts subjects. There are five questions in Fanglueze (strategy) of the scholar's scientific examination, which are divided into upper-upper, upper-middle, upper-lower, and middle-upper four according to the degree of fluency and thoroughness of literature and science.In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the scholar department was the highest, so it was the most difficult to be admitted.In the Sui Dynasty, only 10 people were admitted to the Xiucai Department. In the Tang Dynasty, only one or two people were admitted each time. under the product.Due to the difficulty of admission to the Xiucai department, it was held for a period of time in the early Tang Dynasty, and then stopped.Therefore, Gu Yanwu said in the book: "Scholars in the Tang Dynasty were excellent subjects, and they were not often taught."

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the Jinshi Department only tested the current affairs policies (the countermeasures for the important things in the world) and five courses, and later added the examination post scriptures and essays.Posting scriptures is a test of the ability to write scriptures silently.Essays refer to admonitions and inscriptions with admonitions and warnings as the theme. Lu Ji of the Jin Dynasty said in "Wen Fu": "The inscription is rich and gentle, and the admonition is frustrated and clear." Passing through four ways, posting through four ways or more is the second class.After the middle of Tang Dynasty, the examination of poetry and Fu was added, and the examination of poetry and Fu was emphasized.Often those who fail to pass the scriptures can be admitted if they do well in poetry and prose.This is a reflection of the prosperity of Tang poetry, and at the same time promoted the further development of Tang poetry.Jinshi subjects are divided into two grades, the first grade is awarded to the official positions above the ninth rank, and the second rank is awarded to the lower ranks.

In the Tang Dynasty, Jinshi was the most favored by scholars. "Tang Zhi [zhi Zhi] Yan" said: "Although the gentry are extremely human officials, those who cannot help being Jinshi will eventually be unbeautiful." Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty took the Jinshi examination every year, "often Not less than a thousand people", and the number of those who won the first place was no more than 30 people. In "Quan Tang Poetry", there is "the osmanthus tree only grows thirty branches", which reflects that the number of admissions for the Jinshi Department is only about 30 people each time.According to the statistics of Xu Song's "Enrollment Records", in the 289 years of the end of the Tang Dynasty, there were 266 tributes and 6,442 Jinshi. According to the calculation of the number of thousands of people, there were about 500,000 people who took the Jinshi examination in the Tang Dynasty, and the average number of people ranked between 23 and 24 every year.This is basically consistent with the "Tong Dian" that "the Jinshi is about a thousand people who get the first one hundred and two;The reason why the Jinshi subject is widely valued by the society is related to the fact that the Jinshi and the ranks are often reused.There were 133 chancellors during the period from Tang Xianzong to Tang Yizong, and 98 of them were Jinshi, accounting for about 74% of the total number of prime ministers. Among the prime ministers, the number of Jinshi was absolutely dominant. In the past, it prompted the ruling and opposition parties to pay more attention to Jinshi.Shen Jiji, a member of the Ministry of Rites during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, once said: "Jinshi is selected as a scholar, and people are watched from all over the world, hoping for their demeanor. Loyalty, virtuousness, talent, talent, and sensitivity are those who are salty" ("Tongdian·Election III").It is precisely because of the prominent official positions of the Jinshi department and the ranks, and the small number of admitted students, the Jinshi department is also the most difficult to pass.

Ming Jing can be subdivided into five classics, three classics, two classics, one academic classic, three rituals (namely "Zhouli", "Yili", "Book of Rites"), three biographies (namely "Chunqiu Zuoshi Zhuan", "Spring and Autumn Gongyang Biography", "Spring and Autumn Guliang Biography"), etc.In the Tang Dynasty, according to the weight of the scriptures, the scriptures were divided into three categories: large, medium, and small: "Book of Rites" and "Chunqiu Zuoshi Zhuan" were called the Great Classics; "Poetry", "Zhou Li" and "Yili" were called It is called Zhongjing; "Yi", "Shangshu", "Chunqiu Gongyang Zhuan", "Spring and Autumn Guliang Biography" are called Xiaojing. , "Book of Filial Piety" is a common compulsory test, and all those who take the imperial examination are required to master it.The Mingjing subject is to examine the above Confucian classics, and the methods are divided into post scriptures, Mo Yi, current affairs policies and oral examinations.According to "Xin Tangshu·Electoral Records", in the Tang Dynasty Ming Jing Ke, first examine the classics, ten scriptures for each scripture, three words for each scripture, and those who have mastered more than six scriptures are qualified.Then the Mo Yi (or oral test) has ten articles of scriptures. If you pass ten articles, you will be considered as superior, if you pass eight articles, you will be regarded as superior, if you pass seven articles, you will be classified as upper and lower, if you pass six articles, you will be regarded as above average, and the rest will be unqualified.Then take the time affairs policy three exams, pass the second exam to be qualified.Those who pass the three examinations of Tiejing, Moyi (or oral examination), and current affairs policies are admitted.The admissions of the Mingjing Department are divided into four grades, which are awarded to the lower ranks of the eighth rank, the upper rank of the ninth rank, the lower rank of the ninth rank, and the lower rank of the ninth rank.The examination requirements for Mingjing subjects are not high. It is only required to be familiar with the scriptures and commentaries, and you may not really understand the scriptures.The admission rate is also higher.About one or two people are admitted for every 100 people in the Jinshi department, and about one or two people are admitted for every 10 people in the Mingjing department.In Tang Dynasty, there was a tendency to emphasize Jinshi and despise Mingjing, so there was a proverb "Thirty old Mingjing, fifty young Jinshi", which means that a 30-year-old person who goes to the Mingjing subject is considered old, and a 50-year-old People who go to the Jinshi department are considered young.It shows that it is easy to test Mingjing, but it is difficult to test Jinshi.

Mingfa is the law department, which mainly examines knowledge such as laws and orders.There are 10 strategies in total, including seven laws and three orders.A pass for all is grade A, a pass for more than eight is grade B, and a pass for seven or less is unqualified and cannot be admitted.Candidates for the Ming Law Department come from law students and county tributes from states and counties.The subject of Ming Law is mainly to test the examinee's understanding of the criminal law of the imperial court and the organizational system of the state.The number of people admitted is very small, and the ones that can be checked in history include Li Chaoyin and others ("Old Tang Book·Li Chaoyin Biography").

Mingzike is also called "Mingshuke" or "Book".The Mingzi division first tried the scriptures, then an oral test, and finally a strategy.There are six posts in "Shuowen" and four posts in "Zi Lin", a total of ten posts; the oral test is "unlimited, if you have doubts, ask questions"; after passing the oral test, there are 20 written tests in "Shuowen" and "Zi Lin" , 18 correct answers are qualified.And "for all the Ming books, try "Shuowen" and "Zi Lin", and those who are familiar with exegesis and miscellaneous are considered "common" ("Tang Liudian · Ministry of Rites").Candidates for Mingzi subjects come from students of calligraphy. Those who pass the examination will be approved by offering wine, and then participate in the provincial examination, and pass the provincial examination.The grades of Mingzike and Dixuren are from the ninth grade.The Mingzi Division assesses characters, exegetical knowledge, and calligraphy, and the setting of the Mingzi Division also reflects the Tang Dynasty's emphasis on calligraphy.The famous ancient regular script writers Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan and cursive script writers Zhang Xu and Huai Su, except for Ouyang Xun who was born in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the other four were all born in the Tang Dynasty, and there are also calligraphers such as Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang. Born in Tang Dynasty.Zhu Yi in the Song Dynasty once said: "All the officials in the Tang Dynasty had calligraphy learning, so all the Tang people were good at calligraphy, as far as the border scribes and Confucians, there is no way to write calligraphy, and the inscriptions can be seen so far. It is often better than today's scholar-bureaucrats, and it is also superior. If you like it, you can persuade it." (Volume 1 of "Yi Jue Liao Miscellaneous Notes")

Mingshu subject is the arithmetic subject, which focuses on the assessment of arithmetic and requires detailed arithmetic theory.Mainly examine three articles of "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic", one each of "Zhoubi [bi Bi] Suanjing", "Sea Island", "Sun Tzu", "Five Caos", "Zhang Qiujian", "Xia Houyang", and "Five Classics of Suanmeng" , ten pass six is ​​qualified. "Ji Yi" and "Third Class Numbers" are qualified if nine out of ten posts are read.Another said, "Try "Zhushu" and "Jigu" to record the meaning as a question and answer. Those who understand the number and create the technique in detail, and those who have no notes combine the number and create the technique without losing the meaning, and then it is clear. "Zhushu" Seven items, "Ji Gu" three items, ten through six. "Ji Yi" and "San Deng Shu" read nine out of ten, and they are number one. Those who have fallen through the scriptures, although they have mastered six, are not number one. "Records") Candidates for mathematics in the Ming Dynasty mainly came from mathematics students. After completing their studies, the mathematics students took the Guozijian examination, and those who passed the imperial examination took the provincial examination.

All history subjects are history subjects. "One History" mainly examines "Historical Records". "Three Histories" mainly examine "Historical Records", "Hanshu", and "Houhanshu".Shi Ke was set up by Tang Muzong.Every history asks about a hundred principles and three strategies, and those who have mastered 70 principles and strategies are qualified. The Kaiyuan Ritual Section is the Ritual System Section, which mainly examines the etiquette system formulated during the Kaiyuan period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, which was established during the Zhenyuan period of Emperor Dezong of Tang Dynasty.Candidates who have mastered 70 principles of righteousness and two ways of policy are qualified, and those who have mastered one hundred principles of righteousness and three ways of policy are super-qualified and awarded officials.

The Children's Department stipulates that anyone under the age of 10 who can pass the first classic and the "Book of Filial Piety" can take the Children's Department examination.Those who can recite ten volumes can be awarded officials, and those who can recite seven volumes can be awarded birth certificates. The Daoist Examinations were held during the time of Tang Xuanzong, mainly examining "Laozi", "Wenzi", "Liezi", etc. This is a reflection of the Tang Dynasty's emphasis on Taoist thought and support of Taoist forces. The emperor's order for the system is called "system", and the examination subjects that the emperor specially convenes some people are called "system".The time and content of the examination are decided temporarily by the emperor, and it is held according to the emperor's momentary pleasure. There are no fewer than 80 or 90 titles, such as "general", "detailed political skills can manage people", etc., and there are even "not seeking fame" (not seeking eminence) subjects, "Gaodaoqiuyuan" (reclusive residence in Qiuyuan) subjects, It's ridiculous.Generally speaking, the examination of "Current Affairs Policies", that is, the countermeasures for the important affairs of the time, has been tested in poetry and Fu since Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty.The subject system is a way for the emperor to personally recruit talents. Those with excellent test scores can get higher official positions, and those with inferior test scores can be awarded birthright.Although the system department is a special scientific examination approved by the emperor, people who come from the system department are not respected by people, and they think that they are not from a formal background, and they are far less honorable than those from a Jinshi background.After taking the imperial examination, he could also apply for the system of examinations. For example, the poet He Zhizhang first took the examination of Jinshi and obtained an official position.

Wuke was founded in the second year of Wu Zetian's Chang'an (702 A.D.).It is presided over by Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of War, and is divided into two subjects: flat shooting and martial arts.Mainly test infantry, carbine, horse shooting, weight bearing, language, body shape and so on. According to the "Old Tang Book", Guo Ziyi "compensated the history of the left guard with superior martial arts".In the Tang Dynasty, the military examinations were selected by the prefectures and counties, and then they were sent to the Ministry of War for the examination with the tribute of drinking and drinking in the village. Every year, there were often hundreds to thousands of candidates, and only a few dozen people could pass the exam.The examination content mainly includes: long stack, horse shooting, carbine gun and so on.The so-called long piles are placed on the piles (earth-built archery targets) with five gauges (circular shapes) of silk, five steps apart, the inner gauges are six feet wide, the prongs (juejue) are six feet wide, and the remaining four gauges, each gauge The two sides of the interior are three feet wide each, and the hanging height is limited to 30 feet, and they are seated and shot.The so-called horse shooting, piercing the soil is called a 埒〔lie column〕 (low wall), and its length is the same as that of a stack.The skins are made into two deer, and the calendar is placed on them, and the horse shoots them.The so-called carbine gun is a person who is broken from wood, wearing a square board on the top, and all four puppet people are lined up on top of each other, and the horses are galloping into the cage.Long pile and horse shooting are bow tests; carbine guns are horse gun dancing.In addition, there are options for infantry (grass shooter), pass, weight, body and speech. "New Book of Tang Xuanxuanzhi" contains: "Qiaoguan is seven feet long and three and a half inches in diameter. After ten lifts, the distance between the handholds and the distance is no more than one foot. The person who bears the weight, carries five dendrobiums of rice, and walks twenty Steps, all are Zhongju." The choice of "body" and "speech" is based on the majestic torso, detailed handling, brave talent and commander in chief.If civil servants request to participate in martial arts, those who are taller than six feet, under the age of 40, strong and brave enough to rule others are selected.More than 50% of the pass is qualified.

The Medical Examination Department is an imperial examination subject specially set up in the Tang Dynasty for the selection of medical talents.It was first opened in the 22nd year of Emperor Xuanzong Kaiyuan (734 A.D.).Examination content: ten methods of medical classics and prescriptions for each test, "Materia Medica", "Er Dao", "Mai Jing", "Er Dao", "Su Wen" and "Ten Dao", Zhang Zhongjing's "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" and other prescriptions There are two ways of righteousness, and those who pass more than 70% are qualified.Candidates are mainly students from medical schools. Judging from the above general subjects, the commonly used examination methods mainly include posting scriptures, Moyi, policy questions, poetry and Fu, etc., and occasionally oral examinations are also used. Tiejing is a common method used in Tang imperial examinations. "Those who post the scriptures should cover both ends with the scriptures they have learned, and open a single line in the middle, cut the paper as a post, and write three characters on every post." It is required to fill in the three words in the post, which is somewhat similar to the popular "fill in the blank".This kind of examination method was originally very simple, as long as you read the scriptures and annotations well, you can handle it.This test method is suitable for testing memorized knowledge, but it is powerless for testing cognitive ability, speculative ability and adaptability.Therefore, even if candidates can answer the general postings (fill in the blanks), it is difficult for the examiner to distinguish the good from the bad.In order to facilitate the choice, the examiners racked their brains to increase the difficulty of the test questions, and came up with some isolated quatrains, suspiciously interrelated, and easily confused questions, such as some off-topic and strange questions, "even up to the mark, leaving one or two characters behind, so that It’s hard to find out, so it’s called ‘reversing’.” ("Tong Dian · Election III") In this way, the postscript examination, which was easy to deal with, has become a difficulty for candidates.Therefore, examinees over the years have tried every means to search for strange problems, and compiled lonely and hidden sentences into easy-to-remember verses, called "Tie Kuo".Candidates are keen to memorize Tie Kuo's formulas, but they don't know the meaning of Confucian classics.In response to this situation, in the 16th year of Kaiyuan (728 A.D.), Yang Jue (yang Yang), the son of the state, made a memorial: "Those who have seen today's Juming scriptures, the director did not specify the meaning of their narration, but asked for their sentences. The difficulty is that every post test must take the first month, the day, and the quatrains of the solitary scriptures. Moreover, there are only a few out of ten people who study "Zuo Zhuan" in the Ming scriptures. I hope that from now on, those who take the exams will post all plain texts to preserve the grand ceremony." ("Old Tang Book·Yang Jue Biography") At that time, the court paid attention to Yang Jue's opinion and issued a special order: "The Ministry of Rites recruits people, and it is quite difficult to test people here. It is not allowed, the beginning and the end of the post scriptures do not appear before and after, and those who retake it are similar to the posts. It has been wrong for a long time, and it must be reformed. From now on, the Ministry of Rites has published a line before and after each post. The similarities , there is no need to post." ("Cefu Yuangui·Gong Jubu") According to this order, the examination of the Ministry of Rites began to open three lines, and no longer posted questions in places where doubts were cut off. Moyi is a simple question and answer on the meaning of the scriptures, which can be answered as long as you are familiar with the scriptures and commentaries.As in the original title: "The son said that there are four ways of a gentleman in his son's life. What are the so-called four?" Right: "He respects himself in his actions, respects in his affairs, benefits the people in his support, and righteousness in making the people righteous. Yes." Another example is the original title: "'Seeing a man who is courteous to his ruler is like a filial son's adoptive parents', please correct the following text." Correct: "The following text says: 'Seeing a man who is rude to his king is like an eagle.〔 Zhan Zhan〕Zhi the birds'. Kindly correct." There is also the original title "Please use the annotations to correct".If you can’t answer, just write: “Yes, unexamined.” In the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan (737 A.D.), the new examination method of "oral examination" was added.It is stipulated that the questioning should be conducted by the public, and the test results will be announced immediately at the end of the questioning, so as to limit the examiner's choice of personal likes and dislikes, and let everyone supervise the oral test.However, during the execution, the examiner often takes the oral test alone, and does not record the questions and answers, so there is fraud.In the eleventh year of Tianbao (752 A.D.), in order to appease the public anger, he reiterated the order that "it is advisable to pass the examinations for all people, and then sing whether they pass or not." Ci Zhao Zan once asked: "Record the questions on paper, and each order writes its text directly."In the thirteenth year of Zhenyuan (797 A.D.), Gu Shaolian, the Minister of Zuo Chengquan, Zhili Department, also said: "When trying justice, I asked alone, and the answer was lost. In the second year of Yuanhe (807 A.D.), the Tribute Court of the Ministry of Rites asked the emperor to abolish the oral examination.In the seventh year of Yuanhe (812 A.D.), Wei Guanzhi, the Minister of Rites of Quanzhi, please resume the oral examination.The method of oral examination is more flexible, but it is more random, and it does have the disadvantage of no evidence for re-examination, and it is easy to provide opportunities for some examiners and candidates to jointly cheat. Policy questioning follows the examination method of "shooting policy" and "countermeasures" since the Western Han Dynasty. Put forward suggestions on issues such as politics, official administration, personnel affairs, education, production, etc., or write political articles.It is more demanding than Tie Jing and Mo Yi, and it is a better examination method.However, this kind of examination method has been practiced for a long time. Later scholars compiled the old policies of the annual examination papers and memorized them by heart.It is said that a great poet like Li Bai once took such books together with other candidates during the exam, "carrying them with you for the exam, looking at each other and smiling".It can be seen that over time, it is difficult to test real talents by asking questions.In the third year of Taihe (829 A.D.), due to some people's opposition to poems and Fu, there was a series of policy questions. As a result, the imperial edict stopped the two together, and tried to discuss each one.However, due to the vagueness of the discussion, it is difficult to grasp the selection criteria, and it has not been implemented in time and has returned to the old.In the seventh year of Taihe (833 A.D.) and the eighth year (834 A.D.), it went through another repetition, and then returned to the old one after being modified.Candidates are required to pay more attention to both classics, history and current affairs. In terms of policy issues, they should consider both classics, history and current affairs. For example, policy questions include five questions, including three questions about classics and history and two questions about current affairs.Its intention is to make candidates learn both ancient and modern, so that they will not be biased.After repeated adjustments, this method was continued to be used.It should be said that Cewen itself belongs to a better examination method, but because the content of the imperial examinations limited its role, later, Cewen also gradually focused on parallel Li [li clerk], and like Tiejing, it gradually became a constraint. A means for candidates to think. Volume 14 of "Complete Works of Changli" contains 13 questions about Jinshi Kece, two of which are recorded as follows: "Question: There is a saying in ancient times: 'The government of Xia is loyal, the government of Yin is respectful, and the government of Zhou is literary'. It is the beginning and end of the cycle of the three, just like the five elements and the four seasons. The original reason is the heart, and it is not a reason to make a difference. And seeking differences is just a matter of saving them at the right time. It can be seen that the books of Xia and Yin have survived, and the classics of the Zhou Dynasty are still there, and their articles are examined. If they are not far from each other, what is the so-called difference between the three? Its way is so deep that it cannot be studied [yu yu]? It is difficult to know its words. Otherwise, it is absurd. After the Zhou Dynasty, Qin, Han, Shu, Wu, Wei, and Jin were the hegemons. .Looking at what he does, he also has intentions. Where is the theory of reincarnation? My son has nothing to hide." "Question: Master said: 'Purity is subtle, and it is easy to teach.' Now that I am studying his book, I don't know the meaning of the four, so I [he He] cited its meaning and stated its number." Poetry and Fu is an examination method that was added later.In view of the fact that candidates often recite the scriptures and old policies, and have no real talent, they add a poem and a fu on the basis of the scriptures, which are also called post poems.Poetry and prose can examine candidates' thoughts better than Tie Jing and Mo Yi, and can reflect a person's literary accomplishment and cultural level.However, this kind of poems and fuses have a fixed style, and the sentences and words must be dignified, elegant and magnificent.In the 14th year of Tang Dezong's Zhenyuan (798 A.D.), Bai Juyi was selected for his poem "Sexual Habits Are Near and Far" and "Yushui Ji Fangliu".Let's look at his last poem for the exam: