Since ancient times, the court has set up official ranks, mainly for the purpose of separating job responsibilities. In terms of job roles, if there must be differences between "high, low, respect, and inferiority", the substantive fundamental problem is only the difference in the responsibilities of each one.

Throughout the ages, the reason why emperors wear crowns to govern means that they need to listen to both light and dark; And why do the ministers have to go to court with Mingyu, which implies that the palace must be bright and bright. Therefore, as long as the emperor is wise and wise, and the ministers can be impartial, then the ruling above the court will be clear and decisive, and outside the court, it will be accompanied by success.

"Shangshu, Yushu, Yaodian" records that Tang Yao consulted with the elders of Siyue, and "Shangshu, Yushu, Shundian" tells that Yu Shun commissioned eight sages to start a business and make meritorious contributions. Therefore, in the temple, whether it was humble or opinionated, they were face-to-face oral questions and answers, and there was no written communication at that time. As for the content of the oral questions and answers on the temple, which was later called the purpose and meaning of the "music, chapters, books, and tables"; As for the inside and outside of the court, for the commendation and reward of meritorious service, those belong to the content and form of the ceremony when "adding officials to the knighthood".

At the beginning of the Shang Dynasty, the history of Taijia (the surname is also known as Zhi or Zujia is the son of Taiding, Shang Tang, the eldest grandson of Shang Tang, the fourth king of the Shang Dynasty) succeeded to the throne after the mediocrity, Gu Ming Minister Yi Yin, wrote "Yi Xun", "Wanton Life", "Hou Hou", etc., gave admonitions, and there is a "prisoner of Tonggong" said. Three years later, Taijia repented and reinstated, and Yi Yin wrote three more "Taijia Training" to praise him. As a result, the relationship between ministers and kings used to be face-to-face, and from then on, there were ways to express one's wishes through documents.

At the beginning of the Ji Zhou Dynasty, the government was discussed between the king and the ministers, although the rituals of the Xia and Shang dynasties were still continued, but more attention was paid to the documentary records. For example, according to the record of "The Book of Songs, Daya, Jianghan", Zhaohu (Zhaomu Gongji Hu, the important minister of King Xuan of Zhou in the Western Zhou Dynasty) pacified Huaiyi, and was rewarded by the king of Zhou, and then cast a ceremony and engraved an inscription, which includes "The tiger worships the head of the sword, and the king of Yang is rested." (Summoning the tiger to kowtow and thank King Zhou for his wisdom.) ）； As recorded in "Zuo Chuan: The Twenty-eighth Year of the Duke of Xi", after Duke Wen of Jin was promoted to earl, his thank-you speech included "Worship the chief again, and praise the Son of Heaven's Pixian retirement." (Kowtow again, and thank you very much for the supreme and wise decision of King Zhou.) It can be seen that although the oral expression and the recorded documents of this period are not completely distinguished, the rewards of the emperor will be recorded with great solemnity. In the Warring States Period, although the methods and contents of communication between the upper and lower levels of the imperial court did not change much, all documents submitted to the king were renamed "Shangshu".

At the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, the imperial court standardized the etiquette specifications of the world, and clarified four names for the documents submitted to the emperor: one is called "chapter", the second is called "play", the third is called "table", and the fourth is called "discussion". "Zhang" is used to thank the emperor, "play" is used to impeach and report, "table" is used to apply for confession, and "discussion" is used to judge and explain.

What is a "chapter"? In the literal sense, "chapter" means "bright", that is, bright and flickering. In "The Book of Songs, Daya, and Pu", it is said that "Zhu Biyun Han is a chapter in the sky." (Combined with the original poem, the gist is: The soldiers of King Wen's army are majestic and magnificent, like the Milky Way shining all over the sky.) The word "chapter" here means "bright, flickering." If it refers to the color on the surface of things, the interlacing of red and white colors is generally the "chapter".

What is a "table"? In terms of glyphs, the word "table" derives from the fur that was first draped on a person's body, that is, clothing. In the literal sense, the meaning of "table" is like the "mark" that refers to the end or branch of a plant as opposed to "root", and roughly includes "surface, sign, display, description", etc. In the "Book of Rites", the article "Epigraph" is to explain the external moral performance of a gentleman. If the "table" is applied to an object, such as a dial that measures the shadow of the sun and a leak that measures the time, it is also called a "watch".

Therefore, once an article is named "chapter" or "table", its use and purpose roughly cover some of the above contents and meanings.

In Liu Xin's "Seven Strategies" and Ban Gu's "Hanshu Art and Literature Chronicles", even some folk songs have been edited into the book, but the "chapters, tables, performances, and discussions" that record the country's governance measures have not been included. Isn't this a strange phenomenon? Analyzing the possible reasons, it is possible that there is another exclusive agency responsible for the custody and compilation of this type of document. Therefore, in the entire Western Han Dynasty, there were very few "tables" that simply expressed gratitude and gratitude. However, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to the implementation of the "inspection system" for the selection of officials, the ability to write seals and tables began to be particularly valued inside and outside the imperial court, so this kind of style of writing suddenly increased. For example, Zuo Xiong (AD?) - 138 years of the word Bohao Nanyang Nieyang people Eastern Han Dynasty officials) "Shangshu Chen Shi", for a time became a model of Shangshu recital; And Hu Guang (the name Bo Shi Eastern Han Emperor Huan Emperor Sikong Ling Emperor Taifu) was called "the first in the world" by Emperor An at that time. The chapters and books of both of them can be called masterpieces of this text, especially Hu Guang's "Confession" chapter (the exact content of the death is unknown), from which we can really feel the beauty of what is a "literary model".

As far back as the Spring and Autumn Period, after Duke Wen of Jin was promoted to earl, he accepted the canonization after three resignations and humility. Therefore, at the end of the Han Dynasty, all the tables used for thanksgiving also had the number of courtesies of humility three times. Therefore, it is rumored that Cao Cao once said: "You don't have to make three concessions for the sake of the table, and you don't have to be flashy." (The above table does not need to be humble three times, and there is no need to be reserved and pompous.) Therefore, most of the chapters and tables in the early days of Cao Wei were on the basis of facts, and if you extrapolate their rhetoric, it is indeed not beautiful. However, like Kong Rong's "Recommend You Heng", it is not only high-spirited, but also brilliant. Moreover, like Zhuge Liang's "Teacher's Table", it is even more ambitious and vibrant. On these two articles alone, although they are basically different from the doctrine to the literary style, they are also classics in the "table" genre. As for Chen Lin and Ruan Yu's chapter list, they were already famous at that time, so Cao Pi said in the "Treatise on Classics": "Lin Yu's chapter list secretary is also today's Jun." (Chen Lin and Ruan Yu's chapters, tables, books, and records are the best at the moment). And in "The Book with Wu Qian", Cao Pi said: "Kong Zhangzhang is very healthy. Therefore, in the style of chapter lists, Chen Lin's works can be called outstanding representatives. However, among the many wonderful works titled "Table", Cao Zhi should really take the lead and win the crown. Cao Zhi's "Seeking Self-Test Table" and "Seeking Relatives and Relatives" are not only comprehensive and neat in genre, but also harmonious and natural in rhythm; Not only is it sincere, but also its words are capable; Its metaphorical object is just like a simple one; It speaks heartily, more like a knee-to-knee conversation. Therefore, Cao Zhi is really a master of the creation of "watches", and he is quick and chic between waving his hands.

At the beginning of the Jin Dynasty, Zhang Hua was second to none among those who excelled in the chapter table. When Zhang Hua was named the Duke of Zhuangwu County, he wrote the "Let Gong Biao" (Death Yi) in the midst of three times of humility, which is thorough and concise, and all the examples quoted and compared are in the form of dual sentences. However, people at that time and later only publicized the "Wren Fu" that made him famous, and ignored Zhang Hua's talent in the creation of chapter watches. In addition, like Yanghu (221-278 A.D., the minister of the Wei and Jin dynasties who was the uncle of Taishan Nancheng), he was known as the "voice of virtue" very early; Yu Liang of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (289-340 A.D., the character Yuan Gui, Yingchuan, Yanling, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty), the "Let the Chinese Book Supervisor Table" also won many praises for his honesty and self-confidence. Like their works, there are many commonalities in terms of personal ambition and identity background, so their writing is hearty and elegant. In addition, like Liu Kun (a writer in the late years of the Western Jin Dynasty) and Zhang Jun (the late Western Jin Dynasty writer of the Western Jin Dynasty) and Zhang Jun (the late Western Jin Dynasty according to Longxi called the Liang King) "Please Discuss Shihu Li Period", they also have distinct personalities and extraordinary bearing, and they are all excellent works expressed by Chen Yan.

Tracing back to the source, the purpose of the chapter and the table is to communicate with the text of the deliberations inside and outside the palace, and the main content is to express the feelings of the subordinates to the emperor and the monarch. Therefore, whether it is a "chapter" or a "table", it seems that some individual writing talents actually reflect the literary and military governance of the imperial dynasty. Therefore, the "chapter" was delivered to the imperial court, mainly for the purpose of thanking the emperor, and it was necessary to highlight the vast imperial grace; The "table" is presented to the Imperial Review, which is fundamentally to show virtue and ability, to highlight personal characteristics, and to be upright and elegant. If we distinguish between the real and the name, between the chapter and the table, the "chapter" should precede the "table" and be the fundamental. Generally speaking, the "chapter" is important to highlight and promote, and the "Yaodian" and "Gao Taomo" of the "Shangshu" are not only not annoying, but also clear and not superficial; The form of "table" is diverse, and the content can not be simple and uniform, such as humility and repeated thanks, but also needs righteousness and elegance to show the high style and brightness, and also needs gorgeous words to show erudition and extraordinary. However, for sincere and true people, their words must be created from the heart; And the pompous and hypocritical people must have their words and phrases coming from the melodic beat. Therefore, in the creation of chapter tables, if it can be simple and decent, virtual and real, and rhythmic, it can be basically regarded as decent. For example, Zigong once said: "The heart is controlled by the heart, and the words are ended." (Think about it, say it's thought about it.) The point is that the article should be consistent with what it says and what it says. Xun Guo also said: "Looking at people's beautiful words, beautiful is better than black articles." (Heartfelt praise is better than flashy superficial articles.) Probably the same is the need for consistent speech.

To sum up: the book on the chapter table is handed to the king, and Xie Enqian should exaggerate; Righteousness and reasonableness are sincere and sincere, and the writing is flying and the rhyme is smooth. solemn and humble etiquette, before and after the call should always know; A humble gentleman likes to be honest, and he is at ease.