王鏊对明代八股文定型的影响

The Influence of Wang Ao on the Establishment of the Eight-Part Essay in the Ming Dynasty

明代时文中最重要的部分是经义八股格,俗称八股文。经义八股格经过永乐后百余年的发展,于成化、弘治年间趋于完备。成、弘两朝既是经义八股格达到鼎盛之时,又是王鏊由科举入仕途、时文写作活跃之时。明代经义大家首推王鏊,他的经义创作特征以及多次参与乡会试事的主考官身份,皆在明代经义八股格的形成过程中产生了重要的影响。本文探究王鏊古文宗尚与经义作法的关系,分析其经义八股格的结构特征,进而揭示王鏊在明代经义八股格定型过程中所起的关键作用。

The eight-legged essay, nickname for the eight-part verification of classics, was the most important in all writings on current affairs. After more than a century's evolution following the reign of Yongle, it reached its heyday during the reign of Chenghua and Hongzhi, which coincided with Wang Ao's rise to the imperial court and active writing on current affairs. As the foremost scholar of classics of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Ao exterted a profound influence upon the establishment of the eight-legged essay in his day because of the unique features of his essays and the fact that he himself served as judges reading essays of such style in imperial examinations at the provincial and national levels. The paper explores the structural features of Wang Ao's writings and reveals the role Wang Ao played in the establishment of the eight-legged essay in the Ming Dynasty.