科举的“数量之累”

The Tiredness of Quantity Caused by Keju

科举是一个统治者以权力、地位、名誉、金钱等各种社会稀有资源为诱饵而设定的圈套,民众在竞争社会资源的过程中不由自主地投入其中。通过自南宋至晚清的年均人口数和进士年均登科数的对比,认为科举的“量累”归根结底是由人口的增长引起。但是,与人口剧增给选举所带来的绝对压力相比,因报考人数在总人口中比重的增加所导致的对选举的相对压力,更能反映出科举的“量累”。

The Imperial Examinations could be considered as a trap set by the rulers based on all kinds of scarce social resources such as power, position, reputation and money, in the process of competing for social resources, put got involved into it involuntarily. After comparing the annual total population with the number of people 'who received government degrees in Keju since the South Song Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty, we found that the 'tiredness of quantity' in Keju actually resulted from the increase of population. Compared with the absolute pressure brought about by the sharp increase of population, the relative pressure brought by the rate of Keju candidates among the total population can signify the 'tiredness of quantity' even better.