Confucian Education of the Yuan 元 Period

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Other Title
  • 元代の儒學敎育 : 敎育課程を中心にして
  • ゲンダイ ノ ジュガク キョウイク キョウイク カテイ オ チュウシン ニ シ
  • 元代の儒学教育 : 教育課程を中心にして

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Abstract

This paper aims at outlining the course of instruction at two typical institutions of Confucian education in the Yuan, the miao-hsueh 廟學 and the shu-yuan 書院. The main function of both these institutions was to train the sons of the gentry 士人 to be officials. Therefore, in order to furthur our understanding of the Yuan bureaucracy, it is important to clarify their course of instruction. The gentry of the Yuan belonged to a privileged class. They were registered on a separate register and exempted from corvee services；in return, they were expected to serve the state with their learning. To prepare their sons for official career, there were various types of schools offering Confucian instruction. 0f these, the miao-hsueh and shu-yuan seemed to have provided a large number of school officials 學校官 and clerical officials 吏員. All miao-hsuehs and some shu-yuans oflarge size were maintained by the state. Both had two divisions, the higher school 大學 and the lower school 小學. Pupils were admitted to the lower school at eight ； proceeding on to the higher school at fifteen, they stayed there until thirty unless being given an office. In practice, however, students finished their studies around twenty four and five, as early as twenty two in exceptional cases, and embarked upon an official career. Only those who lagged behind stayed until thirty. The teaching at these schools shows influence of the Neo-Confucianism of Chu Hsi 朱熹 school, which had become widespread by the Yuan. The instruction began with Hsiao-hsueh 小學 of Chu Hsi and moved on to the Four Books and Six Classics, which pupils were required to memorize. At the higher school students read various commentaries on classics and works on history and institutions. At the same time they practiced writing highly stylized prose and various types of verse in preperation for the examination.

Journal

  • 東洋史研究

    東洋史研究 37 (4), 536-558, 1979-03-31

    東洋史研究會

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