''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the

imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...

Imperial China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referred to in English-language sources as Imperial Scholars. The ''jinshi'' degree was first created after the institutionalization of the civil service exam. Initially it had been "for six categories" but was later consolidated into a single degree. The examination system first appeared during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, but the ''jinshi'' degree first appeared under the reign of

Emperor Yang of Sui Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), was the second emperor of the Sui dynasty of China. Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but he was rena ...

. During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, every year around one to two percent of test takers would obtain a ''jinshi'' title out of a total of one to two thousand test takers. The numbers of ''jinshi'' degrees given out were increased in the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

, and the examinations were given every three years. Most senior officials of the Song dynasty were ''jinshi'' holders. The

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

resumed the civil-service exam after its occurrence became more irregular in the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...

. After the reign of the

Emperor Yingzong of Ming , succession = Emperor of the Ming dynasty , reign-type = First reign , reign = 31 January 1435 – 22 September 1449 , coronation = 7 February 1435 , cor-type = Enthronement , regent = , reg-type = Regents , ...

, it became the rule that only jinshi holders could enter the

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. It has also been translated as "College of Literature" and "Academy of the Forest of Pen ...

. On average around 89 ''jinshi'' per year were conferred.Ho 1962 During the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

around 102 ''jinshi'' degrees were given a year. The highest scoring ''jinshi'' in the country was known as the ''

zhuangyuan ''Zhuangyuan'', or ''jangwon'' in Korean and ''trạng nguyên'' in Vietnamese, variously translated into English as principal graduate, primus, or optimus, was the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score on highest level of the ...

'', a term that survives today as a high scoring ''

gaokao The Nationwide Unified Examination for Admissions to General Universities and Colleges (), commonly abbreviated as the Gaokao (), is the annual nationally coordinated undergraduate admission exam in mainland China, held in early June. Despite the ...

'' test taker or just someone who is very good at a skill.

Subtypes of ''jinshi'' recipients

* ''Jinshi Jidi'' ( 進士及第, lit. "distinguished ''jinshi''"), graduates ranked first class in the court exam, usually only the top three individuals were qualified for this title. ** ''

Zhuangyuan ''Zhuangyuan'', or ''jangwon'' in Korean and ''trạng nguyên'' in Vietnamese, variously translated into English as principal graduate, primus, or optimus, was the title given to the scholar who achieved the highest score on highest level of the ...

'' ( 狀元, lit. "top thesis author"), the ''jinshi'' who ranked first overall nationwide. ** ''Bangyan'' ( 榜眼, lit. "eyes positioned alongside"), the ''jinshi'' who ranked second overall just below ''zhuangyuan''. ** ''Tanhua'' ( 探花, lit. "flower snatcher"), the ''jinshi'' ranked third overall. * ''Jinshi Chushen'' ( 進士出身, lit. "''jinshi'' background"), the graduates who ranked second class in court exam, ranking immediately after the ''tanhua''. * ''Tong Jinshi Chushen'' ( 同進士出身, lit. "along with ''jinshi'' background"), graduates ranked third class in the court exam.

Notes

References

{{reflist Academic degrees Confucian education Imperial examination Political history of China

Subtypes of ''jinshi'' recipients

See also

Notes

References