宋代科举考试送别文论略

The Discussion of Farewell Articles in Song Dynasty’s Imperial Examination

与科举过程相关,宋人有大量送别文章,大致分为三类:送人赴试、送落第者、送中举者荣归或赴任。送人赴试文章共计21篇,以称赞、推荐考生为核心内容,同时往往肯定科举制度,或展现不同时期科举社会风貌。送人落第归去文章共计12篇,大都以劝慰开篇,且对落第者不吝称颂之辞。北宋中期以后,对科举考试制度的批评声音增加,有作者就从制度弊病的角度探讨落第原因。送人荣归或赴官的文章只有3篇,或勉励赴任者多有政绩,或表达自己中举后的态度,或对中第者谆谆教导。三类送别文,反映了宋人对科举制度的评价、宋人参加科举考试的复杂心情、科举考试的利弊得失等等内容。

A large number of farewell articles in Song Dynasty, which are related to the process of imperial examination, can be divided into three categories approximately: sending someone to attend an examination, sending someone who was failed in the examination, sending someone who was passed the examination back to hometown or to go to his post. The number of articles in the first category is twenty-one, the core content of which is to compliment or recommend examinees. Meanwhile, they always contain positive attitudes toward the imperial examination system or reveal social style and features of imperial ex amination in different periods. The number of articles in the second category is twelve, most of which start with comfort and then praise the people failed in the examination. In the middle and later period of the Northern Song Dynasty, the standpoints of criticizing the imperial examination system are increasing in the articles.Some authors sought for the reasons of failing in examination from the perspective of the malady of system. And the number of the third category is only three, which encourage the winners in examination to create more achievements in the future, express authors' attitudes about passing the examination, or give the winners some earnest instructions. These three categories of farewell articles reflect the Song people's evaluation to the imperial examination system, complicated mood about attending the imperial examina tion, and the pros and cons of the imperial examination, etc.