Zhang Mao's "provincial test first" distinction
Cai Yuxin (Original)
Zhang Mao (1437--1522), a native of Lanxi in the Ming Dynasty, was known to the world as Mr. Fengshan. According to the "Fengshan Annals", in the first year of Ming Jingtai (1450), Zhang Fengshan was admitted to Lanxi County and became a Xiucai, and the Qing "Guangxu Lanxi County Chronicle" volume 5 of the biography: Zhang Mao "year 15, supplement doctor disciple. ”
In the second year of Jingtai (1451), Zhang Fengshan worshiped Ling Gongzong Zheng as a teacher and studied the I Ching with him. In the spring of the third year of Jingtai (1452), Zhang Fengshan took an examination and ranked among the best, according to the "Fengshan Annals", it was "the first in the provincial examination". For this "provincial test", everyone has different opinions and disagreements.
According to the Ming Dynasty examination system, the entry channel for a talent to enter the world is: first to test, and then to try. So, what kind of exam is the provincial exam, and how important is it? To interpret this question, first briefly describe some aspects of the ming dynasty's imperial examination. If Xiucai wants to pass the examination, he needs to participate in the township examination, and before participating in the township examination, he must first participate in the scientific examination, which is the selection contest before the township examination, and the ming dynasty examination is presided over by the provincial examination officials. In order to strengthen the management and control of schools at all levels, in the first year of orthodoxy (1436), the imperial court set up the Tixue Dao, which was specially designed to supervise the study and administration of a province. Ti Xue Dao all bear the title of "Deputy Envoy of the Inspector Division" or "Youshi", which is called the Deputy Envoy of Tixue or the Deputy Envoy of Tixue, also known as Xuexian . The term of office of tixuedao is generally three years, and during its three-year term, tixuedao must go to all provinces and directly subordinate states to preside over two examinations (annual examination and scientific examination). According to the regulations, the first year of the tixuedao's appointment is the annual examination. For example, according to the calculation of the dry branch, the Ming Dynasty stipulates that the meridian year is the year of the township examination, and the year of the ugly weichen is the year of the year of the year examination. All provincial, state, and county students, augmented students, and attached students must take the examination. The examination is the main examination for the Tao of Learning, and it is limited to the end of the year.
Another time is called the scientific examination, also known as the scientific examination, and the "History of Ming" says: "After taking the first and second grades as a member of the examination, the township examination is called the scientific examination." "The purpose of the scientific expedition is to select students with excellent results (Xiucai) for the township examination, and students from various prefectures and counties will voluntarily participate. Those who do not wish to take the township examination, or who intend to take the examination in the township of Xiake, are allowed not to take the examination, and the provincial, state, and county school instructors only create a roster of test takers. The Scientific Examination of the Ming Dynasty was different from that of the Qing Dynasty, which could only participate in one examination presided over by Xuezheng, while the Ming Dynasty had to pass the three-level examination of county, government and Xuedao, and screened layer by layer, with the purpose of selecting excellent students for the township examination. Therefore, this test is crucial for talented people who are ambitious and strive to achieve fame.
The last and most important examination of the three levels of the examination is conducted by the Regents of the Houses of Learning. The examination halls are set up in the examination booths of the provincial cities, and the counties regularly hang cards and announce them, name them at the time of the day, search and inspect the whole body, do not allow entrainment, paste the names of the examination papers, hand in the papers on the same day, close the papers after dark, do not allow the addition of candles, and seal the door and put the door very strictly. The content of the examination is one of the eight strands of the "Four Books" and one of the eight strands of the scriptures. The results of the scientific examination are divided into six grades, and the first and second class xiucai in the examination can obtain the qualification to participate in the township examination, the third class will lose the qualification to participate in the township examination, and the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade xiucai will be flogged, deposed, or punished by beating or depriving xiucai of his meritorious name.
This examination is an examination presided over by the provincial Ti Xuedao, and its importance is obvious, so it is called the "provincial examination" in the "Maple Mountain Annals". During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the title of "provincial test" mostly referred to the township test, but the "provincial test" recorded in the "Fengshan Annals" was by no means a township test. In the examination participated in by the seven counties of Jinhua Province, the young Zhang Fengshan took the first class and ranked first in the results, which is a very remarkable thing and deserves a big book, so the "Fengshan Annals" solemnly recorded. Some people believe that the ming dynasty science examination and the township examination must be held in the same year, but it is not absolute. Due to space limitations, this article will briefly give an example, the fourteenth volume of the "Ming Dynasty Nanluo" written by Qing Ren Ji Liuqi, the beginning and end of the blocking of Yin Xi, the blocking of Yin Xi, the word Xi Jun, Yixing people. His examination experience is as follows: "In the first year of the Apocalypse, he was trained by Ma Wenzhong. Nong shu, twenty-two years old, made up for the county's life. Ugly, years to try the fifth class. Ying Yin, first class of science test. He was thirty-three years old and took sixteen places in the township examination. Ding Ugly, thirty-seven years old, one hundred and eight dengjin soldiers. It can be seen that he participated in the science examination in the year of Propylene, and participated in the township examination in the year of Decameron, and the scientific examination was one year different from the township examination.
Only those who passed the scientific examination were eligible to participate in the township examination, and the township examination in the Ming Dynasty was divided into three sessions, the first of which (the ninth day of the first month of August), seven examination articles: "four books" and three articles of the "Five Classics" righteousness, called the system of righteousness, that is, the eight strands of text. The second session (August 12), a treatise, the five precepts, the commandment, the table, and the judgment. The third session (August 15), The Five Ways of Kautzer.
In the first session of the Ming Dynasty township examination, the "Five Classics" produced four questions for each sutra with twenty questions. It is stipulated that the disciples should study one sutra each, and when taking the examination, they only need to do the one or four questions they have studied. However, if a certain talent is erudite and Confucian, he can also complete all twenty questions of the Five Classics, plus three ways and four books, and write a total of twenty-three essays in one breath in the first three days. In this case, the results of the second and third exams are negligible, and the show talent is admitted as a lifter without suspense.
After the candidates leave at the end of the game, the examiners evaluate the papers, and each of the "Five Classics" room takes a head name and places it in the first five places of the whole field, called the Five Classics Kui, the first of the Five Classics is called Xie Yuan, the second is called Ya Kui, and the first five can be called the leader. The phrase "the head of the Five Classics" in the folk liquor order (guessing fist) originates from this.
After that "provincial examination first", Zhang Fengshan had the opportunity to participate in three township examinations, and each time the ranking was outside Sun Shan. Until the sixth year of Tianshun (1462), Zhang Fengshan Township was selected in the examination. Zhang Fengshan specialized in the "Five Classics" in the "I Ching", in the first three days, he completed the four examination questions of the "I Ching", plus four books and three questions a total of seven articles, excellent results, was taken as the first place by the "Yi" room evaluation paper teacher, included in the Five Classics Kui, the total ranking is the third place in the province (at present, many people in order to enhance his image, falsely call him Xie Yuan, which is not rigorous). The Lanxi people who were in the same list as Zhang Fengshan also had Ye Sheng and Bao Hong.
In February of the seventh year of Tianshun (1463), Zhang Fengshan participated in the examination, but unexpectedly the examination room accidentally caught fire, and the examination was interrupted. In August, the resumption of the examination, but Zhang Fengshan did not pass the examination, and returned home.
Stone figure in front of Zhang Mao's tomb
In February of the second year of Chenghua (1466), Zhang Fengshan participated in the examination again, and his results were excellent, and he won the first place in the examination, also known as Huiyuan. He then took the temple examination and was ranked second in the ranks, which was won by Loren (1431-1478).
Zhang Fengshan has a special study and profound understanding of the "I Ching", and after he returned home, many students studied the "I Ching" with him, and he opened a Fengshan Academy, specializing in teaching activities, forming the "Fengshan School". Some of his students scored well in the imperial examinations and entered their careers.
The Qing "Guangxu Lanxi County Chronicle" records that in the fourth year of Ming Jiajing (1525), Ling Han "took the I Ching Kui and the two Zhejiang", and the Lanxi people once again entered the list of the "Five Classics Kui" with the first place in the "I Ching".