俗态、学态、考态与心态:晚清底层士人科举活动状态研究--基于《退想斋日记》与《朱峙三日记》的考察

A Study on the State of Imperial Examination Activities of the Lower-Class Scholars in the Late Qing Dynasty:Based on the Investigation of Tuixiangzhai Diary and Zhuzhisan Diary

晚清科考虽然向底层士子开放,但底层士人科举之路并不顺畅。底层士人的科举活动状态呈现出俗态丰、学态颓、考态艰、心态苦等四态并举情势。所谓俗态丰,是指乡风民俗活动充斥在底层应举士子的日常生活中,科举活动呈现世俗化倾向。所谓学态颓,是指科举制艺有着严格规制,学习内容枯燥、书馆求学活动枯乏以及求学中繁琐礼节,使制艺士子陷入颓废状态。所谓考态艰,是指科举考试活动艰辛而复杂,备考、赴考、应考无不透出艰难,“秉烛夜读备考艰”“跋山涉水赴考难”“九天三试应考苦”是这种艰辛的生动描述。所谓心态苦,是指科举应试使士子的心理活动处于跌宕起伏之中。底层士子的科考状态同中上层士子形成了鲜明对照,主要源于二者在科举及第预期和入仕选择空间方面存在的差异。

Although the imperial examination was opened to the lower-class scholars in the Late Qing Dynasty,the road of imperial examination for the lower-class scholars was not smooth.The state of the imperial examination activities of the lower-class scholars showed four states at the same time,namely,the abundant state of common,the poor state of learning,the difficult state of examination and the bitter state of mind.The abundant state of common means that local and folk customs activities is full of the daily life of the lower-class scholars who should take the imperial examination,and the imperial examination activities show a secular tendency.The poor state of learning refers to the strict regulation of the imperial civil examination system,boring learning content,lack of study activities and tedious formalities in the study,which made the scholars of the imperial civil examination fall into a decadent state.The difficulty state of examination means that the imperial examination activities were difficult and complicated.It was difficulty for the preparation and taking examination.The vivid description of this kind of hardship is“it is difficult to study until late night,”“it is hard to travel over mountains and rivers for the examination,”and“it is bitter to take the examination three times in nine days.”The bitter state of mind refers that the imperial examination made the scholars’psychological activities in the ups and downs.There was a sharp contrast between the lower-class scholar and the upper-class scholar in the state of the imperial examination mainly due to the differences in the expectation of imperial examination and the selection space of official position between them.