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Chapter 11 Section 5 The Life of the Imperial Examination Candidates in the Tang Dynasty and Examination Abuses

Ancient Chinese Examination System 郭齐家 3612Words 2018-03-20
The imperial examination was a method of selecting talents in the feudal dynasty, and it was also a means of win over and paralyze intellectuals.Except for a few people who can climb up this road, for the vast majority of people, it is just a bait that cannot be obtained after a lifetime of pursuit.In order to seek a way out of life, a large number of intellectuals not only spend their entire lives in examinations, but also suffer various tortures and insults during the examinations.Before taking the test, you must "guarantee a bond", and you cannot apply without a guarantor.After arriving in the capital, you must first pay homage to your ancestors.On the day of the exam, you should prepare water, charcoal, candles, tableware, etc., and wait for the Xu (xu need) officials to call and search you before entering the Gongyuan one by one.The guards outside the examination room are heavily guarded. Candidates sit in the corridor to answer questions. If they are careless, they will be yelled out.As stated in the "Tong Dian", "On the day of the examination by the Ministry of Rites, soldiers and guards are strictly set up, recommend thorns to surround them, search for clothes, and ridicule them in and out, so as to prevent false abuse" ("Tong Dian Election III").The exam is limited to one day, and the papers are not handed in until the end of the day. Xu burns three candles, and when the three candles are exhausted, the papers will be collected.According to legend, examinee Wei Yongyi wrote a poem on the day of the exam:

These two poems can be said to describe the situation of the examination room in the Tang Dynasty vividly.Because the three candles are exhausted, the scroll must be closed.According to legend, when the examiner Quan Deyu was in charge of the examination, he threatened the examinee, saying: "If the three candles are exhausted, the hearts of the candidates will be burned." It is also an anecdote in the examination room of the Tang Dynasty. During the exam, if the examinee encounters a question that he cannot answer, he will write the words "to the unexamined" on the exam paper.When reviewing the examination paper, the examiner will write a "pass" if the answer is correct, and a "no" if there is no answer or a wrong answer.

Those who fail the provincial examination can enter the Imperial College to study and prepare for the next year's examination.The provincial examination is called "Jiji".The first name is "Zhuangyuan" or "Zhuangtou".Xinke Jinshi called each other "the same year".The examiner is called "the master" or "the teacher", and the admitted candidates are the "students" of the examiner. The imperial examination system left a glimmer of hope for intellectuals.After ten years of hard work, once you pass the ranks, you can ascend to the sky in one step, not only gaining supreme glory, but also seem to become another race. At that time, people called Jinshi Zhongju "Denglongmen", which means that after this gate, "fish" can be melted As a "dragon", the mountains and rivers change color, the world is wide, and the net worth is a hundred times, "become famous in one fell swoop".At that time, someone said: "Jinshi is promoted to the first place, and there is a seven-foot flame on his head", and he stepped into the blue sky.In the Tang Dynasty, there was a man named Zhou Kuangwu, who was so happy to write a poem after being a Jinshi: "In the year of Yuanhe Emperor Bingshen, thirty-three people became immortals together. Blue sky." Being a Jinshi is like becoming a fairy and ascending to the sky.These "immortal" Jinshi will go to Xingyuan to hold a banquet, which is called "Traveling Flower Banquet", also known as "Xingyuan Banquet". Garden, picking famous flowers, known as the two streets to explore the flowers.At the same time, the conference will be held in "Qujiang Pavilion".Qujiang, also known as Qujiang Pond, is located in the suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi today. There are Ziyun Tower and Furong Garden in the south of the pool, and Apricot Garden and Ci'en Temple in the west. It is the first scenic spot in the Tang capital.That day the emperor went to the Ziyun Tower in person, and he hung the curtain to watch, and the royal family of Gongqing also poured over the city to watch.Or choose a son-in-law every day, and enjoy the boat, and the prosperity will be the best.There are many poems and essays in the Tang Dynasty that record the incident, here is a poem "And the Second Banquet Qujiang Poem" by Liu Cang:

After the Qujiang meeting, Jinshi will also go to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda of Ci'en Temple to write their names as a souvenir, which is called the "title meeting".For example, Bai Juyi won the first place in one fell swoop, so the poem has "the place where the title is inscribed under the Ci'en Pagoda, the youngest among the seventeen people", showing his complacency.There are other ceremonial activities to show its honor and favor.After passing the imperial examination, his reputation and status suddenly rose. He was originally looked down upon by others, but now he is suddenly valued by people. Not only relatives, friends, and slaves all flattered him, even his wife changed her attitude drastically.According to "Tang Ren Shuo Hui·Yuquanzi", Du Gao failed in numerous examinations and was about to return home. His wife Liu Shi sent a poem saying:

When the husband (beloved) was frustrated, he was ridiculed by his wife. Du Gao felt extremely embarrassed.But later Du Gaozhong was promoted to the first place, and Liu sent another poem saying:
There is a strong contrast between Du's wife's poems before and after.Maybe this is a story that people attached to each other, and it is not true, but it is true that there has been a major change in the mentality of relatives before and after graduation. Meng Jiao, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, after failing several exams, felt sad, which is clearly reflected in the following two poems. "Fallen" poem:

But once he was admitted to the imperial examination, his poems were dissolute and uncontrollable, please see his "After Enrollment":
The honor and favor of fame and favor further stimulated the intellectuals from the middle and small landlord class to attach more importance to the imperial examination.Many people take the exam every year, two years, five years or ten years, from teenagers to old age, as long as they fail the exam, they keep taking the exam, and there are even people who die in the exam room without any hatred.Once Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty went to inspect Yushifu, and saw many newly admitted Jinshi filing out, he was overjoyed and said: "The heroes of the world have entered my gou [gou enough]." Gou refers to the range that can be shot when archery.It means that the imperial examination system has made all the heroes of the world fall into my trap!Just as Zhao Gu [gu Gu] said in his poem: "Emperor Taizong really made a good strategy, and he made a hero." (Volume 1 of "Tang Yuyan") This shows that the imperial examination system is a clever means to win over ordinary intellectuals.

The test papers of the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were generally unambiguous. In addition to reading the test papers, the admission of Jinshi also had to refer to the candidates' daily works and reputation.Therefore, candidates must present their usual masterpieces to "first-time scholars", especially those who participate in the admission list, and strive for their "wiping and bragging".This was called "jumping" at the time.Those presented to the Ministry of Rites are called "public scrolls", and those presented to dignitaries are called "Xingjuan".For example, the seventh volume of "Tang Yuyan": Bai Juyi first arrived in the capital and submitted a paper to the famous poet Gu Kuang.When Gu Kuang saw the word "Bai Juyi", he jokingly said: "The price of rice is expensive, and 'ju' is not 'easy'." It was quite contemptuous.After reading the first chapter of the book, he recited "Leaving the grass on the original land, one year old and one withered and flourishing. The wild fire is endless, and the spring breeze blows again." He was greatly admired: "If you know a word, it is easy to live in." So Bai Juyi was called Recommended, the reputation is shaken.Li He presented Han Yu with a poem, and Han Yu also praised the first poem "Dark Clouds Overwhelm the City and Want to Destroy it, and Jiaguang Opens to the Golden Scales of Japan", and immediately recommended it.Many scholars, before the exam, are busy paying homage to officials, presenting articles, giving gifts, groveling and bowing their heads.Some people simply ran to the bureaucratic chariots and horses to offer articles to show their sincerity.Han Yu said that these examinees "would stagger [ziju ziju], and whisper [nieru nieru]", vividly depicting the candidates who faltered, hesitated, tiptoed, and wanted to follow behind dignitaries and dignitaries. A pitiful look wagging his tail and begging for mercy.

The poet Zhu Qingyu wrote the first seven character quatrains:
At first glance, this poem looks like a bride waiting for dawn to meet her parents-in-law (aunt-uncle).But the title of this poem is "Recent Examination on the Zhangshui Department". The so-called "Recent Examination" refers to the time when the imperial examination is approaching. Zhang Ji of Yuanwailang.The poet uses the phrase that a bride is about to meet her in-laws after dressing up (a metaphor for the chief examiner) to describe her mentality about taking the Jinshi exam. Before the exam, she wants to ask her husband-in-law (a metaphor for Zhang Ji) whether her essay can satisfy the chief What does the examiner like?The self-pitying mood of the bride looking at the shadow is very similar to the mood of the poet who is confident in his talents and learning but is afraid that he will not pass the exam. Therefore, this poem is cleverly conceived and has unique metaphors.

Zhang Ji also rewarded Zhu Qingyu with a poem titled "Rewarding Zhu Qingyu":
This poem compares Zhu Qingyu to the extremely beautiful Cailingyue girl, and her singing voice is touching, implying that Zhu Qingyu does not have to worry about the exam, and he will be listed on the gold list.The two poems are sung and sung together, a perfect match, with a long charm, and it has been passed down as a masterpiece in the poetry circle through the ages. Examination papers and imperial examinations are complementary to each other. Emphasizing articles outside the examination room can "collect reputation and observe Su Xue", which has the positive side of avoiding one test to determine life. "Old Tang Book Wei Zhi [zhi Zhi] Biography" records that during the Tianbao period (742-756 A.D.), Wei Zhi was the minister of the Ministry of Rites. , Enrolling in his subjects, not to the best of his talents; he first blames the old, and still makes everyone master his own poems, first try for a day, know his strengths, and then evaluate according to the usual method, all the goodness is exhausted, and the beautiful voice will make the way." For For these impartial and selfless examiners who try their best to seek talents, passing papers, moderate papers, and provincial papers are a way to comprehensively understand and evaluate talents.However, with the popularity of line papers, it also brought many disadvantages to the imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty, and line papers have also become a normal channel for passing joints.For example, Juren Liu Xubai and Pei Tan, the minister of rites, were close friends when they were young. Liu Xubai once wrote a poem to Pei Tan:

Pei Tan was so grateful for the kindness of his friends that he made his old friend a Jinshi.In order to become an official, the sons and daughters of aristocratic families socialize with each other [zuosi], but those from poor families abandon six or seven out of ten.Although some children from poor families have poems, they have nowhere to submit them. There is a poem describing: "The lotus clothes are worn several times to wipe away tears, and I want to visit the rich family to reach the sky." In the sixth volume of "Tang Yu Yan", Du Mu presented "A Fang Gong Fu" to Wu Wuling, a doctor of the Imperial Academy, and was appreciated by Wu Wuling. head.Cui Yan said: the first place has already been chosen.Then seek the second, third, and fourth places in turn, and there are already candidates.As a result, although Du Mu's "A Fang Gong Fu" has been passed down through the ages, it is "the fifth person as a last resort".Du Fu, a poet saint of a generation, was not selected as a Jinshi in Tianbao's early years because no one continued his reputation.Meng Haoran, a famous poet, lived in poverty and spent his whole life in civilian clothes.Du Xunhe, a poet in the late Tang Dynasty, had no choice but to lament:

Some examiners also asked their friends to jointly determine the admission list. This situation was called "Tongbang" at the time.At that time, "making requests for authority" was also called "tong joints".So "please entrust", "pass the joint", "private recommendation", "off-site negotiated ranking", etc., are all there.As for the phenomenon of "recommendation and rank", "regime grant and rank", "failed rank and re-acceptance" and other phenomena are not uncommon.Pei Siqian took the eunuch Qiu Shiliang's letter and forced the examiner Gao Kai to give him the "No. 1 Scholar".In the end, Pei Siqian got his wish.Because Guo Xun and Prime Minister Yu Cong had "friends on inkstone seats", before the Jinshi examination results were released, they distributed "more than a thousand colorful posts" signed by "Xinji Jinshi Guo Xun" when all officials went to Ci'en Temple to offer incense.Prime Minister Yang Guozhong's son, Yang Xuan, did not do well in the Mingjing subject. The Minister of Rites did not want to admit him.Zhang Shi (shishi) was a son of a poor man who never studied, but because his father Zhang Yi was the censor Zhongcheng and had the power to supervise the imperial court, Zhang Shi was admitted as the first place, which caused a lot of discussion in the court and the public, and forced Tang Dynasty Xuanzong personally went to the Huae Building to re-examine the admitted Jinshi, and only one-tenth of them were admitted in the end, but Zhang Xi couldn't write a word all day long with the test paper in his hand, so he was called "Ye [Ye Ye] Bai". , that is, hand in blank papers in the exam.There are also those who leak test questions, embezzle and accept bribes, impersonate people, pass on answers, and so on.Just as the school secretary Wang Lengran said in the prime minister's letter: "The servant steals that those who are promoted today, if they don't use relatives, they use power, and if they don't use bribes, they use friendship." If there is no party", then "cannot be promoted", and can only "be in a humble position, under the humble [ze responsibility], and swallow your breath". Wang Lengran's letter recorded in "Tang Yanyan" reveals so profoundly that it is very meaningful for us to understand the abuses of the imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty and for us to understand the darkness of the feudal officialdom and the examination room.
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