科举制早期称某人为“状元”只是民间行为

"No. 1 Scholar" Was Only A Folk Salutation Under Imperial Examination System

"状元"一词到晚唐才在笔记小说、诗歌等文艺性作品中出现,唐、五代,直至宋初的13科,政府从来都没有确认过一个状元,也不注重具体名次,只笼统称名次居前者为"甲科"、"高第"等,所以"状元"一词在唐、五代的史书、令中都不曾使用,墓志及韩愈、柳宗元、杜牧等著名文人作品中也不使用,科举制早期称某人为"状元"只是民间行为。

“No. 1 Scholar” first appeared in novels and peoms in late Tang Dynasty, and it was never used by the govern- ments in the Thirteen-Subject Examinations in Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, even in early Song Dynasty. People rank- ing higher in the examinations were called “Jiake” or “Jidi” （means being admitted）. During the same period, “No. 1 Scholar” did not emerge in history documentation and emperor＇s commands. Also it was not used in epitaphs and works of Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, Du Mu, etc. So “No. 1 Scholar” was only a folk salutation under the imperial examination system.