i v ) E x a m i n a t i o n s w i t h i n t h e u n i v e r s i t y
I t i s c l e a r f r om t h e c o m p l a i n t made by Wang Shu t h a t a t t h a t e a r l y
s t a g e d u r i n g t h e C h ' i n g - l i p e r i o d , a l t h o u g h e n t r a n c e t o t h e u n i v e r s i t y
was a c h i e v e d by e x a m i n a t i o n , t h e m ai n r e q u i r e m e n t w h i c h s t u d e n t s h a d t o
s a t i s f y was a r e s i d e n c e r e g u l a t i o n , w h i c h was n o t e n f o r c e d v e r y s t r i c t l y
- a n d , i n f a c t , was d r o p p e d s o o n a f t e r w a r d s a t t h e b e h e s t o f Yü C h i ng .
E x a m i n a t i o n s w i t h i n t h e u n i v e r s i t y became much more s i g n i f i c a n t
on t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e t h r e e - c o l l e g e s y s t e m , when t h e y w e r e u s e d
t o p r o m o t e s t u d e n t s f rom one c o l l e g e t o a n o t h e r . The p r o c e d u r e s
f o l l o w e d w e r e q u i t e c o mp l e x . When s t u d e n t s came t o t h e u n i v e r s i t y , t h e y w e n t f i r s t t o t h e o u t e r c o l l e g e . T h e r e t h e y w e r e a s s e s s e d p r i v a t e l y e a c h mo n th on c o n d u c t ( " w h e t h e r t h e y f o l l o w e d i n s t r u c t i o n s a n d d i d n o t b r e a k t h e r u l e s " ) an d s k i l l ( " p r o g r e s s i n s t u d y i n g t h e c l a s s i c s " ) . 4 ^ They we r e a l s o e x a m i n e d i n i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s o f t h e c l a s s i c s , t h e c o m p o s i t i o n o f d i s c u s s i o n s ( l u n ), a nd t h e r e s o l u t i o n o f c o m pl e x p r o b l e m s u s u a l l y b a s e d on a p p a r e n t t e x t u a l c o n t r a d i c t i o n s ( t s ' e ) . 41 At t h e end o f t h e y e a r , t h e y t h e n a t t e n d e d a p u b l i c e x a m i n a t i o n , w h i c h t h e y e n t e r e d i n o r d e r a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i r p o s i t i o n on t h e c o n d u c t / s k i l l r e g i s t e r . 42 He r e a g a i n t h e y w e r e e x a m i n e d i n t h r e e s u b j e c t s , s i m i l a r t o b u t more e x t e n d e d t h a n t h o s e t e s t e d i n t h e 4 0 Y ' u - h a i 1 1 2 : 33A, "The t h r e e - c o l l e g e l a w s o f t h e Y i i a n - f e n g u n i v e r s i t y " , s a y s t h a t t h i s t o o k p l a c e i n t h e e i g h t h m o n t h , b u t t h e o t h e r s o u r c e s t h a t I h a v e c o n s u l t e d r e f e r t o i t a s a m o n t h l y o c c u r r e n c e . 4 1 WHTK 42 (396) s a y s t h a t t h e p r i v a t e e x a m i n a t i o n , h e l d i n t h r e e s e c t i o n s , c o n s i s t e d o f two q u e s t i o n s on i n t e r p r e t i n g t h e c l a s s i c s , one on j u d i c i a l d e c i s i o n s , an d f rom t h r e e t o f i v e on c r i m i n a l l a w . T h i s d i f f e r s f rom t h e d e s c r i p t i o n i n t h e T r e a t i s e , g i v e n h e r e , b u t i t may a p p l y o n l y t o t h e law s c h o o l . 42 Chan, R e f l e c t i o n s, p . 2 2 4 n o t e 22, s a y s t h a t t h e s t u d e n t s w e r e p r o m o t e d t o t h e i n n e r c o l l e g e by t h e p r i v a t e e x a m i n a t i o n , and t o t h e u p p e r c o l l e g e by t h e p u b l i c e x a m i n a t i o n . A g l a n c e a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e T r e a t i s e d o e s s u g g e s t t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , b u t on f u r t h e r r e a d i n g t h i s a p p e a r s t o b e an e r r o r .
private examination. The students who passed in the top two grades at the public examination were promoted to the inner college, if their records on the conduct/skill register were adequate. About one hundred were allowed to be promoted in this way at each examination.
To proceed from the inner to the upper college, students sat for a special college examination, and those who were passed were divided into two grades, ’’excellent" or "average". Their records according to the conduct/skill register were then checked, as a result of which they were grouped into three levels. Those who achieved the grade of "excellent" both at the examination and on the register were in the top level, and were allowed to become officials at once; those with one grade of "excellent" and one of "average" were included in the middle level and were exempted from the Board of Rites examination, being allowed to proceed directly to the palace examination; and those who attained "average" on both or who obtained an "excellent" grade at the examination but failed on the register were exempted from the local examinations. Particular care was taken with this examination for admission to the upper college, at which about thirty students could be promoted (we may note that the number of students promoted to a higher college is approximately one third of the college above, rather than a proportion of the lower college promoting them). The names of candidates were concealed and their papers recopied, and staff of the upper college did not themselves correct the papers. Only from five
to ten per cent of outer college students were able to continue right through to the upper college, but this figure is comparable to the proportion of civil service candidates who could hope to succeed.43 In April of 1107, the regulations for the "eight standards of good conduct" were enforced; according to these rules, students who