三选于吏部卒无成:韩愈三应博学宏词科考辨

Three times failure in the selection of ministry of personnel:A study of HAN Yu’s participation of bo xue hongci examination

韩愈自云“三选于吏部卒无成”,是指他曾三次参加博学宏词科考试,但均以落选告终。对此“三选”的详情,诸家所说不一,以致对韩愈相关生平和作品的系年混乱。结合唐代举选制度和韩愈进士及第于贞元八年春的生平履历,结合同期应试的李观作品《中和节诏赐公卿尺诗》,可知韩愈第一次参选博学宏词科冬集于贞元八年冬,考试在贞元九年春;从韩愈的《与崔立之书》和《上考宏词崔虞部书》的有关表述,结合洪兴祖《韩子年谱》考证此次试题《太清宫观紫极舞赋》的背景和具体内容,推断韩愈第二次参选宏词科冬集于贞元九年冬,考试也在贞元九年冬,著名的《颜子不贰过论》便为此次应试之作;从《祭兄子十二郎老成文》《上宰相书》的内容和创作时间,结合试题之一的《冬日可爱诗》内容和韩愈《省试学生代斋郎议》的旧注,推断韩愈第三次参选宏词科冬集于贞元十年冬,考试也在贞元十年冬。

HAN Yu said that“he failed three times in the Ministry of Personnel’simperial examinations”refers to his three times failure to pass the Boxue Hongci examination.The details of these“Three examination”vary among different schools,which resulting in confusion over the chronology of HAN Yu’s life and works.Based on the selection system of the Tang Dynasty and HAN Yu’s life experience as a Jinshi in the spring of the eighth year of the Zhenyuan era,as well as LI Guan’s work Poem to celebrate the emperor bestowed a ruler in Zhonghe Festival that took the exam at the same time,it can be inferred that HAN Yu first gathered in the winter of the eighth year of the Zhenyuan era and took the exam in the spring of the ninth year of the Zhenyuan era;Based on the relevant statements in HAN Yu’s Letter to Cui Lizhi and Letter to Cui Yubu(虞部)on the Examination of Hong Ci,combined with Hong Xingzu’s examination of background and specific content of the“Taiqing Palace Purple Pole Dance Ode”in Han Zi Chronology,it is inferred that winter collection of HAN Yu’s second Boxue Hongci examination was in the winter of the ninth year of Zhenyuan era,and the examination was also in the winter of the year.The famous“Yanzi do not make the same mistake twice”is the work for this exam;Based on the content and creation time of Sacrifice to nephew twelve Lang and Letter to the Prime Minister,combined with the content of one of the test questions“Lovely Winter Poems”,and the old annotations of HAN Yu’s Discussion of student replacing Zhailang,it can be inferred that HAN Yu’s third winter collection in the Boxue Hongci examination was in the winter of the tenth year of the Zhenyuan era,and the exam was also in the winter of the same year.