明代文官荫叙制度考论

An Examination on the Policy of Favoring the Offspring of Civil Officers in the Selection of Officials in the Ming Dynasty

明代文官荫叙制度始定于洪武十六年,但定而未行,明初文官荫叙皆属特恩。明中叶后,逐渐形成以阁臣荫叙为核心、以三品京官考满荫子入监为主体的文官荫叙制度体系;与前代相比较,不仅缩小了文官的荫叙范围,而且把荫叙与官员考核相结合,把承荫者纳入国子监教育入仕的轨道,从而有效地弱化了传统荫叙制度的消极影响,在激励官员忠于职守和提高荫叙官素质等方面发挥了积极作用。

The Ming policy of favoring the offspring of civil officers in the selection of officials was formulated in the 16 th year of the reign of Hongwu (1383), but was not enacted until mid-Ming. In the early days of the dynasty, the privilege was granted as a special favor from the emperor. It was gradually institutionalized from the middle of the dynasty on. The favor was mainly conferred on cabinet officials' posterity, while the offspring of court officials of the third-rank and above in their three-year assessment gained the privilege of entering the Guo Zi Jian (the imperial college). Compared with previous practice, the Ming dynasty rulers not only reduced the coverage of such a privilege, but also tied it with the assessment of officials. The beneficiaries were trained in the Imperial College before they were assigned to their posts. As a result, the negative effects of the policy were minimized, while its incentive function was brought into play in improving officials' commitment and the personal quality of the officials selected through this process.