imperial examination rank; civil service grades
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
ranking system in imperial examinations; grade or rank achieved in the civil service exams
formalHistorically refers to the system of ranking candidates in the imperial civil service examinations (科举) based on their performance. Often used in the context of traditional Chinese bureaucracy and social mobility.
Tā他
chū出
shēn身
pín贫
hán寒
，
quán全
píng凭
kē科
dì第
rù入
shì仕
，
guān官
zhì至
zǎi宰
xiàng相
。
He came from a poor family and entered officialdom entirely through the imperial examinations, rising to the position of prime minister.
Qīng清
dài代
kē科
dì第
zhì制
dù度
shí十
fēn分
yán严
gé格
，
jìng竞
zhēng争
jī激
liè烈
。
The imperial examination ranking system was extremely strict during the Qing Dynasty, with fierce competition.
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Tā他
zài在
kē科
dì第
zhōng中
míng名
liè列
bǎng榜
shǒu首
，
zhòng中
le了
zhuàng状
yuán元
。
He ranked first in the examinations and achieved the top score (zhuangyuan).