1992 / November

明清華南鄉試中史學知識角色的轉變
The Changing Role of Historical Knowledge in Southern Provincial Civil Examinations during the Ming and Ch'ing

研究論文 Research Article

艾爾曼
Benjamin A. Elman

265-319

本文利用明末清初華南各省鄉試考卷的內容，來敘述十七世紀時經學與史學關係的轉變。根據科舉考試科目的改變，可推知十八世紀時，在考證學界中，史學幾乎與經學居同等地位。北京第一歷史檔案館和台灣中研院的明清檔案所收藏的科舉資料爲評估清代優秀人才教育的演變提供獨特線索。首先，本文提出明清兩代長江流域各鄉試中「策問」的分類統計資料，並表列南方各省應試者在五經中「專經」的選擇頻率。我們可利用後者的資料來推算應試者之專經選擇與史學經典-書經及春秋-的人數。其次，本文探索由漢代至清代「策問」的演變，並將其與十七丶十八世紀的八股文相比較。「策問」在鄉試，會試及殿試中的角色，亦被提及。此外，並介紹明清兩代重要的「策問」及答案的資料。最後，本文評估1516年浙江鄉試，1594年福建鄉試，及1658年廣東鄉試中關於史學的「策問」內容。對1685年的會試中有關歷史的「策問」亦加以評估，以爲明清兩代科舉內容中史學地位的轉變提供更完整的解釋。

This paper uses late Ming and early Ch'ing civil service examination papers in south­ern provincial examinations (hsiang-shih 鄉試) to describe the changing relationship be­tween classical studies (ching-hsueh 經學) and historical studies (shih-hsueh 史學) in the seventeenth century. The rise of historical studies to almost parity with classical stud­ies in the eighteenth century in k'ao-cheng 考證 intellectual circles can thus be assessed according to the changing nature of the civil examination curriculum. The primary exam­ination sources contained in the No. 1 Historical Archives in Beijing and the Ming-Ch'ing Archives in Taiwan provide us with a unique source to assess educational change among elites in late imperial China. Initially the paper presents statistical summaries of policy questions (ts'e 策) clas­sified by topic during the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties in the Yangtze delta, followed by tables describing the Ming and  Ch'ing dynasty frequency of specialization (chuan-ching 專經) on one of the Five Classics in South China provinces. This latter information allows us to estimate the number of candidates and graduates of provincial examinations who specialized on either of the two historical Classics, the Documents Classic 書經 or the Spring and  Autumn Annals 春秋. Secondly the paper traces the evolution of policy questions from the Han to the Ch'ing dynasties and compares them in importance to the eight-legged essays (pa-ku­ wen 八股文) during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The role of policy questions on provincial, metropolitan (hui-shih 會試), and palace examinations (tien-shih 殿試) is also noted. In addition, important collections of policy questions and answers during the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties are presented. Finally the paper assesses the content of policy questions dealing with historical studies and historiographical issues in the 1516 Chekiang 浙江, the 1594 Fukien  福建, and the 1658 Kwangtung 廣東 provincial examinations. For comparative purposes, the 1685 metropolitan examination policy question on history is also evaluated to give a fuller account of the nature of change in historical studies on the civil examinations during the Ming-Ch'ing transition.

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