User:Alicialuo/Scholar-official

Scholar-official, also known as literati or gentlemen(Chinese: 士大夫; pinyin: shì dà fū) was a collective name of scholars serving as government officials and prestigious scholars in the society, and it also can represent the special social class formed by these groups of intellectuals. Scholar-official was the elite class of imperial China. Scholar-officials were highly educated and generally good at literatures and arts area, most of them were also direct participant in politics and administration.

Origins of Shi(士) and Da fu(大夫)
Scholar-official is a new concept and social class firstly appeared during Warring States period, before that Shi and Da Fu were two different classes. Before in the Western Zhou dynasty, the Duke of Zhou divided the social classes into: King, feudal lords, Da Fu, Shi, ordinary people, and slaves. Thus Da Fu was originally a higher class than Shi, Da Fu was people who from aristocracy and serve as officer, Shi was people from the social class between Da Fu and ordinary people and they only can serve as low-level officials in feudal China.

During the Warring States period, with the annexation wars between states and the rise of bureaucracy, many talented peoples from the Shi class contributed a great work to their lords. Shi became more influential and Da Fu gradually evolved into an official position in the bureaucracy not a hereditary peerage. Therefore, Shi and Da Fugradually been mentioned together and became Scholar-official(士大夫 Shi Da Fu).

Interaction with Confucianism
Confucianism is the core of traditional Chinese culture and the theoretical basis for maintaining the feudal autocratic monarchy system.

Confucius is one of the most famous Chinese philosophers and educationists, he lived during the late Spring and Autumn period. Confucian school of thoughts became the mainstream of traditional Chinese society, and Confucian education also became the mainstay of selecting officials and most levels of administrations in the society. Some other famous philosophers from Confucian school lived during the Warring States period also have significant influences such as Mencius, Xun Kuang, Yan Hui, Zeng Shen and Kong Ji. Later, there was Dong Zhongshu from the Han Dynasty. Their philosophical ideas and books laid the foundation of Confucianism.

During Song and Ming Dynasties, Confucian philosophers combined Daoism and Buddhism thoughts to produce Neo-Confucianism school, further enrich the Confucian ideological system, and directly promoted the prosperity of the scholar-officials class, also formed the unique moral integrity of the scholar-officials and had a huge impacted on the Chinese literati of later generations.

Important philosophers from Neo-Confucianism: Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, Zhu Xi, Zhang Zai, Zhou Dunyi from Song Dynasty, and Wang Shouren from Ming Dynasty.

Talent Selection Systems in Ancient China
The traditional Chinese official selection systems are the institutional basis of the formation of scholar-officials.
 * Recommendatory System
 * Nine-rank System
 * Civil Service Examination System (Imperial Examination) is the most popular and influential way in traditional China to select candidates for the state bureaucracy.

Ancient Social Classes
The feudal social structure divided ordinary people into four categories, made scholar-officials at its top level, this structure is another important institutional basis of the formation and prosperity of scholar-officials.

Order of Four Occupations: scholar-officials, farmers, artisans and craftsmen, merchants

Han Dynasties to Northern and Southern dynasties (202 BC—589 AD)
Using the Recommendatory System and Nine-rank System to select governments officials and candidates were popular during this long period, scholars-officials during this period usually from those prominent clans. For example, the Zheng clan of Xingyang, Xie clan of Chen Commandery, Cui clan of Qinghe, Cui clan of Boling, Wang clan of Langya, Wang clan of Taiyuan, Lu clan of Fanyang... These clans were prominent in having Confucian scholars and high-ranking government officials, male family members serve as official for generations, some clans or families appeared several chancellors. They formed a huge network through political marriages with each other or imperial family, and also formed a monopoly on education and politics.

Sui-Tang Dynasties(581—907)
During Sui and Tang dynasties the Civil Service Examination System was firstly established, and after this the educational system and the government officials selection system are integrated together. During Tang Dynasty those prominent clans were still influential but not powerful as before,

Also the Civil Service Examination System became a guarantee for the integration of shi and

Song Dynasty(960—1279)
Song dynasty is the golden age for scholar-officials. Since Song dynasty, passing the Imperial Examination became the only legal way for people to hold a official position in the government.

able to maintain its prosperity  political privilege

Arts and Culture
painting, literature and poetry, calligraphy, seal carving, antique collection

Culture
monopoly on knowledge, culture, and art

Internationally
With the development of international influence of Civil Service Examination system in ancient East Asia region, Scholar-officials also became an important social backbone of ancient Korea(include Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje), Ryukyu Kingdom, and Vietnam.