The so-called eight-part essay is simply to divide the article into eight parts. The title of the article must come from the original text in the Four Books and Five Classics, and the format, tone and content of the article are strictly regulated. Because the eight-part essay requires candidates to imitate the tone of the ancients and "speak for the saints", candidates have no room to play freely and imprison readers' thoughts, which is the main drawback of the eight-part essay.
There are many negative comments on stereotyped writing in history. Gu Zeng, a thinker at the end of the Ming Dynasty, commented on stereotyped writing in Rizhilu: "The harm of stereotyped writing is equivalent to burning books and burying Confucianism and corrupting talents, more than the suburbs of Xianyang, but more than 460 people are trapped." This directly equates the eight-part essay with Qin Shihuang's "burning books to bury Confucianism". Pu Songling, a famous novelist in Qing Dynasty, also satirized the untimely eight-part essay in many chapters of Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio. In addition, Qian Yong and Li Ciming, famous scholars in Qing Dynasty, also made very negative comments on stereotyped writing.
However, it is worth mentioning that those who gave bad reviews to stereotyped writing at that time were themselves victims of stereotyped writing. Many of them are knowledgeable and write well. But it happened that he failed in Sun Shan many times in the imperial examinations. They cursed the imperial examination system, the examiners, and the eight-part essay in their poetry and prose works because they tried every time. It's like many people lost money buying stocks today, and it's a truth to scold the CSRC.
Of course, stereotyped writing does have great disadvantages, which is clear not only to scholars but also to the ruling class at that time. Since Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, the debate about the retention or abolition of stereotyped writing has never stopped. But in the end, the ruling class of the Qing Dynasty decided to stick to the imperial examination stereotyped writing. What is the reason?
Originally stereotyped writing was rigid, but it was a good way to select talents under the conditions at that time.
First of all, the contents of the eight-part essay exam are all from the Four Books and Five Classics. These books were very popular at that time, and the price was acceptable to the public. In this way, both students in Beijing and students in border areas thousands of miles away have unified teaching materials. Everyone will be able to compete on the same starting line, so that students from poor families have the opportunity to "be Tian Shelang and be the emperor at dusk". Otherwise, if the examination content is varied, it will inevitably lead to unfair education when books are not popular at that time. Rich families can buy many books for their children to learn, while poor families can't afford books, and many places can't even afford books. This is tantamount to closing the opportunity for poor students to climb the ladder.
Secondly, the eight-part essay has a fixed format, so that the examiners can mark the papers fairly and fairly. As long as the examinee's eight-part essay meets the standard in all aspects, the examiner can't be eliminated because of personal preference. This has also relatively reduced the investigation of fraud.
In addition, although the content of stereotyped writing is vague, it is very helpful to improve writing ability. People who can write eight-part essays well are often handy when writing other articles. Wu, the author of The Scholars, hates stereotyped writing, but he also affirms the role of stereotyped writing in improving writing ability. He once wrote in his article: "If the eight-part essay is well written, no matter what you do, whether you want poetry or give it, it is a whip, a scar, a slap and a palm of blood. If the eight-part essay is not exquisite, no matter what you do, it is a wild fox Zen and an evil spirit. "
Some people say that stereotyped writing is empty and useless. But in fact, the rulers of Ming and Qing dynasties adopted eight-part essay for the imperial examination, and originally did not intend to let students learn practical subjects. The main purpose of stereotyped writing examination is to select the most diligent person among the students all over the world. As for the specific work ability, it is not too late to slowly cultivate it after being admitted. As long as you are willing to work hard and bear hardships, there is no need to worry about not learning specific jobs and businesses. At this point, the eight-part essay exam is actually very similar to our college entrance examination today. Although we have learned a lot from reading today, most of them are knowledge that will never be used. The reason for the college entrance examination is to select the hardest-working students, not the brightest ones.
Therefore, even if modern people can cross the Ming and Qing Dynasties, who can think of an imperial examination system that is more suitable for the historical conditions at that time than the eight-part essay?