"Naturally, the imperial examination cannot be abolished," the Queen Mother nodded, "but this eight shares, this palace thinks it is too rigid, and you also suffered from it back then, so how about the eight shares, this palace wants to hear your opinion." Pen %Fun %Pavilion www.biquge.info"

The form of the eight-strand text can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty's "Ti Kuo". The so-called "theology" is to write a commentary on a certain kind of scripture in a vague and concise manner. Although the Tang Dynasty used poetry and endowed scholars, it did not completely abolish the reading of "scriptures".

In the Song Dynasty, since Wang Anshi Bingzheng, with the "Jingyi" test, the student Ren Zhiyi, the examination to play the "Jingyi" as the text, which is different from the Tang Dynasty focused on memorizing the original text, the examination summary to write the answer to the "Tijing", but to play the understanding of the meaning of the scriptures to write the text, so it is called "Jingyi".

In the Yuan Dynasty examination, the "Jingyi" and "Jingjiao" were used as the inscriptions, and the scope of the questions was limited to the four books of "University", "The Mean", "The Analects" and "Mencius". This is the earliest prototype of the eight-strand text.

Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty Hongwu three years, the edict of the imperial examination law, the examination text imitates the Song Dynasty "Jingyi", and then this kind of text emphasizes the rhythm, and the form of the eight-strand text is formed. Gu Yanwu said in "Daily Knowledge":

"The text of the scriptures, commonly known as the eight shares, began in the Chenghua period of the Ming Xian Sect, such as the article "Joy of the World to protect the world", the first three sentences are mentioned, that is, the four shares of "Lotte", the middle of the four sentences, the re-talk of the "protection of the world" four shares, the recovery of four sentences, and then make a big conclusion. For example, in the article "Blame for the Gentleman's Gong", the first three sentences are mentioned, that is, the four strands of 'reproach to the gentleman', the two sentences in the middle, and the re-talk of the four strands of 'Gong Zhi', the second sentence is retracted, and then the big conclusion is made. Among every four strands, one is positive and one is positive, one is virtual and one is real, one is shallow and one is deep. If there are two pairs of inscriptions, and there are two pairs of texts, which are two vertical grids, then in each door, there are four kinds of each, and the second method is also the same. According to legend, it is called the eight strands. The long question is not limited to this, and there are also two or four sentences that are related to each other, and the number of pairs is more than ten, not just eight shares. ”

Tongcheng Fang Bud said: the art (that is, the eight strands of literature) of the rise of more than 700 years, so a long time without abandonment, covered with the essence of the scriptures, contained in the book of the four sons, for schoolchildren to learn it, the day to soak their hearts with righteousness, a few knowledge can gradually open and the heart of the art to return to the right. This is true, after all, the dynasty governs the world with Confucianism and Taoism, and it is feasible to this day, and the matter of the eight shares seems to have entered the sideways, and the four books are nothing more than those books, and the topic has long been familiar. ”

Qianlong was born in the twenty-fourth year, experienced the middle and late Qianlong dynasties, Jiaqing, Daoguang two dynasties scholar Qian Yong, versatile, a lifetime of curtain, never passed the exam, it seems that he is not even a showman, in his famous book "Walking in the Garden", there are many scolding eight strands. For example, he said: "Or the art in the text, there is like a pig in the painting, and Yu was shocked to ask why." Said: Cattle, sheep, dogs and horses, each with its own famous family, have also seen those who use the gang as a point dye? The so-called writing in this world is incomprehensible, and there are also those who have recorded Jingchuan, Lumen, Gui, Hu, Tao, and Dong's righteousness? ”

This note is based on pigs than eight strands, and there are other self-written allusions to the Xiucai exam, including the so-called "since the double Huai clamping the well" and "nine Diao Jiu Sao, three smoked and three chestnut" and other jokes, and the candidates are all ranked higher. It's all a story of laughter, ignorance of the examiner, and being deceived by the candidates.

"Chinese people, specializing in the arts, the upper is seeking this, and the lower is responding to this. The limited spirit of his life is exhausted within eight shares and five words, and he is not to be involved in this, and Fu Dengdi entered the official, from the national economy and people's livelihood, down to human customs, not familiar, and there is no way to take measures, all because of the two ways of learning and learning, so that words and deeds are not caught. Gao Xinkui continued, "Therefore, Weichen thinks that there are three disadvantages to simply relying on eight shares to win a soldier. ”

"Please."

"First, sink in the pile of old papers, do not seek reason in things, but only know the reason in the text, orange sheng Huainan is citrus, China's big, Jiangnan and Jiangbei, Saiwai and Xi, the customs are different, and there are people who don't know the words of Confucius and Mencius, how can they use the way of the eight strands to govern it?"

"Well, this is very true, the southerners say in the local language: what song to sing on what mountain. Adapt to local conditions and change with time. That's what you mean. ”

"What the Queen Mother said is very true," Gao Xinkui didn't think that the Queen Mother was actually familiar with the folk proverbs of the Southwest, and hurriedly complimented, "This second, the words of the sages have become the law of the world, and the scholars are stuck in the pile of old papers, and the words of the three generations of sages judge the things of this world, which is really a big fallacy. Is there an enemy coming from the sea? Is there such a thing as opium? 'Classics' can be used to reason, not as a guideline. Not sticking to the past, not being afraid of the present, this is the right principle. ”

"Third, all those who are in the imperial examination do not train themselves in the moral articles of the sages, but only use them as a stepping stone to enter the official career, and those who are in the middle of the examination no longer delve into knowledge, which is really putting the cart before the horse."

"These three kinds can be described as eight drawbacks. However, the matter of the imperial examination, can be circumscribed, not instantaneous, the queen mother at the beginning of the curtain, the people's hearts are undecided, the wings have not been completed, rash action, fear of losing the heart of the world. Gao Xinkui said, "The eight shares cannot be abolished, but they are slowly changed, Weichen thinks that if the eight shares are not abolished, try others!" (To be continued.) )

PS: These two are a bit boring, and they'll be fine right away.