科举考试中的夹带

The “Jia Dai” in the imperial examination system in the Qing Dynasty

山西万荣县荣河镇南里庄村孙清珉先生收藏一件绢书,长91、宽18厘米。绢质较粗,色微黄,有污渍。绢书正反两面书写,字迹大小相若,全部是蝇头小楷,工整秀挺,极易辨识。正面字迹磨损,墨色甚浅;反面保存尚好,墨色如新。正面字迹竖行共198行,反面204行,每行字数不等,在33-45字之间。书写不留天头地脚,左右两边也不留边栏空处,通篇字迹密集,无句读,无圈点,只有少数怪线和勾识(图见下页)。经辨认,勾识是结尾的标记,竖线是文题的标记,所以勾识和竖线总是形影相随。绢书中的竖线画在直行的右侧,提示了文题,共31处,说明绢书共有31篇文章。经检核,文题全部出自《中庸》和《孟子》,这与明清两代科举考试的“四书文”一致,即考题全用“四书”(《大学》、《中庸》、《论语》、《孟子》)的原文。

The civil serivce examination system,an important channel to select talented people in feudal dynasties of China,originated in the period between Sui and Tang Dynasties.The“Jia Dai”was the notes smuggled into an examination hall by a candidate for entrance examination to practise fraud.Here is an article introducing a piece of“Jia Dia”in the Qing Dyansty.Discovered in Shanxi Province.