People

In old China, this was a qualification given to those who passed the local examination, the first stage of the imperial examination, which was usually held once every three years in each province. Westerners usually translate it as "master," but in reality it is a much higher rank. Xinjuren hold a celebratory banquet with the examiners, which is called the Luming Banquet. The top performer is called Xieyuan, meaning the first to take the examination, because in the Song dynasty, the equivalent of the local examination was called the Xieyuan. In the Song dynasty, those who failed the imperial examination had to retake the examination every time, but in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Xieyuans had a fixed status and could take the next examination as many times as they wanted, and there was also a system in which those who failed were gathered together after the examination to take a special examination, and those with the highest scores were appointed to official positions.

[Miyazaki City]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧中国において、各省で普通3年に一度行われる科挙の第一段階、郷試(きょうし)の合格者が与えられる資格。西洋人は普通、マスターと訳すが、実際はもっと地位が高い。新挙人は、試験官とともに祝賀の宴を開くが、これを鹿鳴(ろくめい)宴という。首席を解元(かいげん)というのは解試第一番の意味で、宋(そう)代には郷試に相当するものを解試と称したからである。宋代では科挙の失敗者は毎回解試を受け直さなければならなかったが、明(みん)・清(しん)の挙人は固定した地位となり、何回でも次の会試に応ずることができ、また会試ののちに、落第者を集めて特別の試験を行い、成績上位の者を官に任ずる制度も行われた。

［宮崎市定］

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