Outline of XIXth-Century Chinese
Civil Service Examinations

(Terms worth memorizing: tóngshēng, shēngyuán (xiùcái), jǔrén, jìnshì)

This page provides a brief overview of the main examination levels of late Imperial China. The numbers provided will emphasize how extaordinarily poor the chances were of a person reaching the highest level of the examination system. The picture shows part of a pavillion of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, which still shelters stone monuments to students from that region who reached the top while Vietnam was governed by Imperial China.

The terms "early" and "late" refer to the 50-year periods before and after 1850. Population is assumed to be about 410,000,000 in the first half of the XIXth century. My students find it easiest to think about these by equating them with American university degrees, based roughly on age at passing the relevant exams. However the proportion of individuals with academic degrees is much higher in modern America than in XIXth-century China.

Simplified characters are red. When they differ, traditional ones are provided in blue.

Level A (lowest = tóngshēng 童生

EXAM NAME:

Type 1: Zhōu-xiàn Shì 州县试 / 州縣試 (District Exam)

Type 2: Fǔ-zhōu Shì 府州试 / 府州試 (Prefectural Exam)

PLACE:

Type 1: Zhōu 州 or Xiàn 县 / 縣 level

Type 2: Fǔ 府

QUOTA:

Type 1: none

Type 2: almost none after early Míng dynasty.

STATUS AFTER PASSING: Tóngshēng 童生

INTERVAL: varied between provinces

NUMBER IN POPULATION AT ANY ONE TIME:

2% (varies between early .7% in Ānhūi province to 3.5% in Yúnnán province and late .6% to 5%)

GRADER:

Zhōu 州 and Xiàn 县 / 縣 magistrates.

REMARKS:

Candidates initially called Jùnxiù 俊秀. Passers were still considered commoners.

Level B ("BA" = shēngyuán 生员 / 生員 or xiùcái 秀才

EXAM NAME: Tóng Shì 童试 / 童試 or Yuàn Shì 院试 / 院試

PLACE: native districts & prefectures

QUOTA: Early: .1 to .15% or 25,089. Late: 30,113

STATUS AFTER PASSING: Shēngyuán 生员 / 生員 (colloquial: xiùcái 秀才

INTERVAL:

civilian exam: 2 in 3 years;

military exam: 1 in 3 years.

PRODUCTION IN 3 YEARS: civilian: 50,000; military: 21,233

NUMBER IN POPULATION AT ANY ONE TIME:

Early: civilian: 526,869; military: 212,330, total: 738,199 (=.18% of the population, or slightly under 2 per thousand of population)

Late: total: 210,597 (=.24% or slightly over 2 per thousand of population)

AVERAGE AGE AT PASSING: 24

GRADER: Provincial Director of Studies

REMARKS:

The degree of Jiànshēng 监生 / 監生 was available by purchase at this level, permitting one to take the Level C exam without passing this one. Passers (and Jiànshēng degree holders) were considered lower gentry.

Level C ("MA" = jǔrén 举人 / 舉人 )

EXAM NAME: Xiāng Shì 乡试 / 鄉試 = Provincial Exam

PLACE: Province capital

QUOTA: 1,439

STATUS AFTER PASSING: Jǔrén 举人 / 舉人

(plus one Fùchē 副车 / 副車 or "honorable mention" per 5 jǔrén)

INTERVAL: 1 every 3 years

PRODUCTION IN 3 YEARS:

Early: 1,400 civilian, 1,011 military.

Late: 1,500 civilian, 1,011 military.

NUMBER IN POPULATION AT ANY ONE TIME:

Early: civilian: 15,500, military: 11,500, totaling .0065% of the population, or about 6 per hundred thousand of population.

AVERAGE AGE AT PASSING: 31

REMARKS: Passers were considered upper gentry.

Level D ("PhD" = jìnshì 进士 / 進士 )

EXAM NAME: Hùi Shì 会试 / 會試 = Metropolitan Examination

PLACE: Běijīng

QUOTA: yes

STATUS AFTER PASSING: Gòngshì 贡士 / 貢士

This title was seldom used, since a subsequent pro forma examination called the Diàn Shì 殿试 / 殿試 or "Palace Examination" was held immediately afterward conferring the coveted title of Jìnshì 进士 / 進士 .

INTERVAL: 1 every 3 years

PRODUCTION IN 3 YEARS: 550

NUMBER IN POPULATION AT ANY ONE TIME:

2500 civilian, 1500 military, 4000 total (=.0009% of the population, or 9 per million of population)

AVERAGE AGE AT PASSING: 35

REMARKS: Passers were considered highest gentry.

Sources:

The table is based largely on Chang Chung-li 1955 The Chinese Gentry. Seattle: University of Washington Press. I am indebted to William Parish of the University of Chicago for useful discussions of this material.

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