Who do ancient scholars in China generally refer to?

Literati, in ancient times, refers to scholars, and also refers to China ancient literati and intellectuals. They learn knowledge, spread culture, respect the monarch politically, and use academic methods to rotate between Tao and monarch. They are participants in national politics and creators and inheritors of China's traditional culture. Scholars are a special position in ancient China, and an elite social group unique to Chinese civilization.

The scholar class appeared very early. During the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Spring and Autumn Period, scholars lived between Qing Dafu and Shu Ren politically, at the bottom of the nobility, and were almost connected with Shu Ren. Under the patriarchal clan system, doctors, ministers and scholars are all attached to Dr. Qing, and no unauthorized entry is allowed; Economically, scholars have a certain number of "grain fields".

Lu is enough to plow for him, and he can get it for nothing; Culturally, scholars received a variety of education, such as etiquette, music, archery, imperial, calligraphy, mathematics and so on. As a result, their social occupations are diversified, either as warriors, or as city butchers and retainers of doctors in the Qing Dynasty, or as general officers in the courts and grass-roots administrative agencies where emperors and generals meet.

In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, scholars as a social stratum gradually disintegrated. Due to the collapse of rites and the relaxation of patriarchal clan system, scholars lost their living security and had nothing but six arts. On the other hand, while losing the "iron rice bowl", scholars also got rid of the shackles of patriarchal clan system and gained greater personal freedom.

However, the political demands of great powers for hegemony made vassal States compete for "Shang Xian" and "empowerment", which stimulated the rapid growth of social demands for intelligence and knowledge. During this period, a large number of private schools mainly spreading cultural and political knowledge emerged, which not only cultivated a large number of cultural people, but also formed the cultural concept of "not arguing for importance, but seeking Tao". The combination of various historical opportunities contributed to the rise of literati.

Extended data:

The emergence of ancient China scholar-bureaucrat class;

The political culture of Zhou Dynasty is mainly composed of musicians and historians. After a long evolution, in the Warring States period, musicians became Confucian scholars and historians became officials. These two groups representing Confucianism and Legalism have long had this sharp contradiction. After Qin Shihuang unified the world, he adhered to the rule of law, and the scribe was also a knife and pen official.

Qin Shihuang also thought about the combination of Confucianism and law, and even gave Confucianism generous treatment, but Confucianism was stubborn and bent on restoring ancient ways. Qin Shihuang's patience did not complete the integration of Confucianism and Legalism. Confucianism suffered a severe blow, and the Qin empire soon ended in extinction.

Later, Emperor Gaozu established the Han Empire. Because Liu Bang didn't like Confucianism very much, Confucianism was not reused in the early Han Dynasty. At this time, the imperial ruling class was still the literati used in the Qin Dynasty.

It was not until the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that Confucianism officially entered the historical stage. From then on, the political system of the Han empire was a combination of Confucianism and law, with Confucianism outside and law inside. Even so, the conflict between Confucianism and France is still fierce, which is reflected in all aspects of politics in the Western Han Dynasty, such as the close combat between Confucianism and France on the theory of salt and iron.

It was not until the end of the Western Han Dynasty that Wang Mang was born. He is determined to be a great scholar, and studies Confucian poetry, books, etiquette and music seriously. After he came to power, literati became the foil of the empire, and Confucian scholars became the core of the empire. At this time, they can finally create their own unrealistic and idealized kingdom, and Wang Mang's New Deal is actually the product of the long-term retro reform of Han and Confucianism.

In the end, the result of the Confucian dream of the New Deal was the collapse of the empire, with sorrow and war everywhere. In the end, the Xin Mang regime also went to ruin at an extremely fast speed. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the ruling class of the empire became more literate than the Confucian scholars. The Confucian scholar class made a thorough reflection from a painful experience, and then until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a large number of Confucian scholars became officials and officials became Confucian.

At this time, Confucian scholars and literati basically reached a fusion, and then formed the later literati class. Until the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the system of selecting officials changed from selecting officials in different ways to looking at Confucian classics without looking at grammar, provided that Confucian scholars were literate.

From the original law enforcers, we didn't peek into the ancient king's code and the gentry's Confucianism. If there is no law, it will have to wait for later officials to be gentle and proficient in grammar. The road to integration for hundreds of years is really long.

The demise of Qin He proved that Confucianism and Legalism were indispensable. Confucianism and law are destined to move from differentiation and conflict to integration. Officials should also be highly educated, and scholars can take official careers. This is a unique scholar-bureaucrat system in China for two thousand years.

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