The ranking of the ancient imperial examination system from low to high is as follows: scholar - judge - tribute scholar - Jinshi - third prize - second place - number one scholar.
The ancient imperial examination was very difficult. It is no exaggeration to say that the probability of passing the exam in ancient times was lower than our current probability of passing 985 or 211. In ancient times, there were no high-speed trains, planes or other means of transportation. You had to rely on your own two legs. You could travel for months or even half a year. Not to mention the food and drinks on the way, you might have to leave early. Generally, you would try It’s autumn and I have to leave at the beginning of the year. For example, Ning Caichen in A Chinese Ghost Story is one of the talents rushing to take the exam.
1. Scholars
1. If you want to be selected in the imperial examination, you must first be qualified to participate in the imperial examination, that is, you are a scholar. But to be a scholar, you have to pass three passes first, namely the county examination, the government examination and the college examination.
2. The examination is presided over by the county magistrate, usually in February, with five consecutive examinations. The first session is the main session, with two essays on four texts and one poem on five characters and six rhymes. The title, poem, and writing method all have a certain format. The whole volume should not exceed 700 words.
The second session is a test, one essay on four books, one essay on sexual theory or the Classic of Filial Piety, and about 100 words of "Holy Edict Guangxun" written silently. No mistakes are allowed.
The third session is called again and again, testing four texts or one scripture, one rhyme and verse, one five-character and eight-rhyme poem, and dictating the first two sentences of the "Holy Edict" in the previous session. .
The fourth and fifth tests are repeated: scriptures, poems, scriptures, and erotic essays.
3. The first exam will be marked down by 20%. Candidates who pass the county exam are eligible to take the prefectural exam. The prefectural exam is held in the prefecture that has jurisdiction over the county and is presided over by the prefect. Participate in the government examination, which usually takes place in April. The examination subjects are divided into three sections: classics, essays, and policy essays. They test memorization, diction, and political opinions and current affairs respectively. Fifty people were recorded, divided into A and B grades, and the top ten Class A.
4. Usually, nearly half of the candidates will be eliminated in this exam. The next step is the college examination, which is the final test for scholars. The college exam is presided over by the academic administration. The academic administration is held by Hanlin appointed by the emperor, whose rank is third grade, and the final scholar is the one who gets the results of the academic examination. According to the records in "Imperial Examination System and Chinese Culture", it takes an average of three years for each county to produce more than a dozen scholars.
2. Juren
To become a scholar, a scholar needs to pass the provincial examination. The rural examination is held every three years and is presided over by examiners from each province in Beijing. Candidates must take the examination at the place of residence. The examination content mainly covers current affairs and politics, classics and history, and eight-part essays. Those who pass the examination are called Juren.
The rural examination is held regularly, and the examination place is called Gongyuan. Unless major events occur in the Gongyuan country, the general examination time will not change. Therefore, there is no need to issue advance notice, and candidates across the country will automatically be ready to take the exam. If there are celebrations such as birthdays or enthronements of the imperial court, a temporary addition called enke will be added. The chief and deputy examiners who preside over the examination are appointed by the central government and a temporary organization is formed by local government officials to preside over the activities. The exam is divided into three sessions, each lasting three days. For all three sessions, you need to enter the examination room one day in advance and appear the day after the examination. This is also a test of mental and physical strength.
The examination booths are divided into rooms. They are specially used for candidates to answer papers, eat and stay in Gongyuan. For the imperial examination, each candidate has a single room. The search in the Gongyuan is very strict. When candidates enter the Gongyuan, they must be rigorously searched to prevent "entrainment" hidden on the candidates' bodies. When candidates enter the examination room, they must lock the door. During the examination period, the candidates were required to "eat, drink, have sex, and sleep" in the "room" and were not allowed to come out until the end of the examination.
The person who is promoted in the rural examination is commonly known as Xiaolian, and the first person is named Jieyuan. Those who pass the provincial examination are called the B list, also called the B subjects.
3. Gongshi
After becoming a Juren, the provincial government will provide materials to participate in the joint examination held in the capital. The joint examination is usually scheduled in March of the next year.
There are three tests in the general examination: in the first test, candidates write four articles on historical themes - three expositions and one commentary; in the second test, four articles test the meaning of scriptures and a poem with five chapters Rhyme poems; in the third session, write a political paper - policy theory. The results of the joint examination will be announced three days later. Those who take the high school entrance examination will be awarded Gongshitoujie and will be qualified to participate in the palace examination one and a half months later.
4. Jinshi
After becoming a tribute scholar, you will be eligible to take the palace examination. The subject is not so easy to pass. In addition to taking the "Tie Jing" test, you also have to take the "Current Affairs Policy" test. and "essays." "Current Affairs" tests your ability to analyze national issues and requires you to be able to give advice; "Essays" tests poetry and poetry, requiring candidates to be able to write beautiful articles and have excellent literary talents. Compared with Ming Jing Ke, which emphasizes "rote memorization", Jin Shi Ke obviously has higher requirements on the overall quality of candidates, and the test is more flexible, so the difficulty is naturally much higher. It can be said that the Jinshi examination is really difficult, and there are a lot of people who fail. For example, Du Fu wrote poems to the level of "Poetry Saint", but he still failed to pass the exam. Therefore, being a Jinshi was also called "Denglongmen" at that time. The Imperial Examination is held in April, immediately following the General Examination. The Imperial Examination is personally presided over by the emperor, and those who pass the examination become Jinshi. You need to take the Hanlin Academy examination and study for three years before being awarded an official position. The palace examination is divided into top three admissions. The top one is awarded Jinshi and does not need to take an exam, and is directly awarded an official position. The second person is given a Jinshi background, and the third person is given a Jinshi background.
5. The top pick, the second best, and the top pick
The palace examination is divided into three categories (third class).
The first A is awarded the title of Jinshi, the second A is the Jinshi origin, the third A is the same as the Jinshi background, the first A in the imperial examination admits three people, the first is called the number one scholar, the second is called the second place, and the third is the third flower.
In short, students in that era regarded the imperial examination as the only way to enter an official career. Passing the imperial examination and being named on the gold list are the dreams of countless students. It is precisely "no one asked about him after ten years of hard work, and he became famous all over the world in one fell swoop."