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科举
By “key concepts in Chinese thought and culture” we mean concepts and keywords or phrases the Chinese people have created or come to use that are fundamentally pertinent to Chinese philosophy, humanistic spirit, way of thinking, and values.
kējǔ 科举
The Imperial Civil Examination System
通过分科考试选用官吏的制度。隋文帝统一中国后，废除以门第、品级为主的选人制度。隋炀帝大业元年（公元605年）正式开科取士。历代科举，在考试科目、内容、录取规则上均有变化。各科之中，以进士科最难，也最为士人所重。元明以后，考试内容以《四书》《五经》文句命题，答题是写一篇文章，格式为八股文，观点需以《四书集注》等为依据。1905年光绪皇帝下诏废科举。科举制促进了贵族政治向官僚政治的转换，同时兼具教育、选官、考试、社会分层、文化传承等多种功能。它是隋朝以后1300年间中国最主要的“选举”方式，对中国社会发生的影响是极其深广的。
This is the system in which officials were selected through different levels of examinations. After Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty reunified China in 581, he abolished the system of selecting officials on the basis of family background or moral character. In 605, the first year of the reign of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, the system to select officials through imperial civil examinations was officially established. From then on, examination subjects, content, and recruitment standards varied from dynasty to dynasty. The jinshi, the highest level and the most difficult of imperial civil examinations, was always the most revered by scholars. In the Yuan and Ming dynasties, examination content was based on the Four Books and the Five Classics and had to be answered in the form of the “eight-legged” essay and refer to Commentaries on the Four Books and other classics. In 1905 Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty issued an edict abolishing the imperial civil examination system.
For 1,300 years since the Sui Dynasty, the imperial civil examination system was the main method for selecting officials, which had a broad and profound influence on Chinese society. It hastened the transformation of aristocracy-based politics to bureaucracy-based politics and had multiple functions such as educating people, selecting officials, choosing talent through examinations, social stratification, and carrying forward the traditional culture.
引例 Citations:
◎太宗即位，思振淹滞，谓侍臣曰：“朕欲博求俊彦于场中，非敢望拔十得五，止得一二，亦可为致治之具矣。”（《宋史·选举志一》）
（［宋］太宗即位后，打算给那些有德有才却久遭埋没的人提供机会，对身边的大臣说：“我想通过科举考试广求德才出众的人，并不指望选上十个人就有五个人出众，只要其中有一两个出众的，就可以把科举考试作为实现政治清平的手段了。”）
Soon after Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne, he wanted to help people with both moral integrity and professional competence come to prominence, so he said to his ministers, “By recruiting remarkable people through the imperial civil examination system, I do not expect five out of ten of those recruited to excel. If one or two out of ten do, the imperial civil examination system can be used as an effective means to maintain political stability.” (The History of the Song Dynasty)
◎科举必由学校，而学校起家，可不由科举。（《明史·选举志一》）
（科举必须经由学校，但从学校推举上来的人才，可以不经过科举考试。）
The imperial civil examination system had to be implemented through schools, but those recommended by schools to official positions do not necessarily need to take the imperial civil examinations. (The History of the Ming Dynasty)
