清代州县官任期“三年一任”说质疑——基于四川南部县知县的实证分析

Questioning the Three-year Tenure of the County Magistrate in the Qing Dynasty——An Empirical Analysis of Magistrates in the Southern County in Sichuan

清代政书没有实授知县任期的直接记载,现有的三年之说主要受外官大计和历俸制度的影响,针对的也是实授官,署理、代理知县的任期则为研究者所忽略。据多种文献的互证互补可知,清代四川南部县共有167任、155位知县,官衔分实授、署任和代理三种,能确定官衔的145任知县中,实授52任,署任80任,代理13任。在能确定任期的109任知县中,实授知县平均任期最长,为2.4年;署任知县任数最多,平均任期只有0.9年;代理知县的平均任期为1.5月。官员迁调、差委、丁忧、患病、议降议革是影响实授知县任期的主要原因。署任知县的平均任期与署理为期一年、督抚的随意调署以及任内遇有委署别缺、战死、病故及革职等情况密切相关。

There was no direct record of the tenure of the normal magistrate of a county in the Qing Dynasty.The existing view of the three-year tenure was mainly influenced by the Daji inspection and pay system,which aimed at the normal officials.However the researches of the temporary and the agent officials are ignored.According to various and complementary literature,the total number of magistrates was 155,successively 167 in Southern county in the Qing Dynasty.There were three kinds of ranks,the normal,the temporary and the agent.The normal official positions were 52,the temporary 80 and the agent 13 among 145 rank officials.As to the definite term of the 109 officials,the average tenure for normal officials was the longest with 2.4 years.The number of temporary was largest,and its average duration was only 0.9 year.The average term was 1.5 months for agent officials.The personnel transfer,appointment,filial mourning,being ill,demotion and dismissal are the main reasons for determining the normal official term.The temporary official average tenure was associated with one year appointment,governor random mission,vacancy,death in the war,passing away and dismissal.