Meaning of 八股
八股 means eight-legged essay (a rigid Ming & Qing imperial exam writing style); rigid, empty formalism; stereotyped writing. Pronounced bā gǔ.
- eight-legged essay (a rigid Ming & Qing imperial exam writing style)
- rigid, empty formalism; stereotyped writing
Definitions & Examples
Míng明
Qīng清
shí时
dài代
de的
kǎo考
shēng生
bì必
xū须
zhǎng掌
wò握
bā八
gǔ股
de的
xiě写
zuò作
。
Examinees in the Ming and Qing dynasties had to master writing the eight-legged essay.
Zhè这
piān篇
bā八
gǔ股
wén文
yán严
gé格
zūn遵
xún循
le了
pò破
tí题
、
chéng承
tí题
、
qǐ起
jiǎng讲
děng等
gé格
shì式
。
This eight-legged essay strictly followed the formats of 'breaking the topic', 'carrying the topic', 'beginning the discussion', etc.