During the hundreds of years of Ming and Qing Dynasties,"eight-part essay" was deeply criticized, but why had it not been abolished or replaced? First of all, we must understand the historical background of the eight-part essay. In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination was divided into two stages: the eight-part essay and the provincial examination. The eight-part essay was a strict style that required candidates to write in a fixed format and word count without any mistakes or flaws. The requirements of this style were very high. It not only tested the candidates 'writing skills, but also their thinking ability and logical reasoning ability. Due to the strict requirements of the eight-part essay, many examinees felt that it was difficult to cope with and even produced serious psychological pressure. Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, the drawbacks of the eight-part essay were gradually recognized and began to reform it. However, due to the heavy resistance of the reform, the eight-part essay was still widely used until the end of the Qing Dynasty. Why hasn't the eight-part essay been abolished or replaced? There were two main reasons. First of all, the format and word count of the eight-part essay were very strict, requiring candidates to be able to complete high-quality articles within the specified time, which was a huge challenge for many candidates. Secondly, the style of the eight-part essay was very demanding. It required the examinee to have a deep foundation in writing and thinking ability. This requirement also limited the development of the examinee. Therefore, although the eight-part essay had existed for hundreds of years, it was still an important form of imperial examination, still affecting China's political and academic development.
Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, novels had been widely circulated among the Chinese people. Kang Youwei even thought that in that era,"the classics and history were not as good as the eight-part essay, and the eight-part essay was not as good as the novel." The meaning of this sentence was that reading classic literature (such as the Analects of Confucius, Mencius, etc.) was more popular than reading novels, and reading novels was more popular than reading eight-legged essays.
The prosperity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was mainly due to the following reasons: 1. social unrest: during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China was in social unrest, wars, uprisings, natural disasters and other events occurred frequently. People's lives were extremely difficult. In order to survive and develop, people needed more entertainment and pastimes. Therefore, novels in this form became their first choice. 2. Prosperity of novel creation: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the creation of novels began to flourish. Many excellent works were created, such as "Dream of the Red Chamber","Journey to the West","Water Margins" and so on. These works were not only rich in content but also had high literary value, becoming the classics of Chinese classical literature. 3. The novels were widely spread. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, novels began to spread through various channels, such as manuscripts, operas, novels and magazines. These methods of communication made novels more popular and more people could come into contact with novels, thus promoting the prosperity of novels. 4. Diverse types of novels: The types of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were very rich, including legends, romance, strange stories, novels, operas, etc. Each type had its own unique characteristics and styles, allowing readers to choose to read according to their own preferences. Combining the above reasons, the prosperity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties came into being.
The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the prosperous period of Chinese literature, during which a batch of excellent novels emerged. In terms of novels, the achievements of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were mainly manifested in the following aspects: 1. The number of novels created was huge. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were many novels, among which the classic masterpieces such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, and Water Margins were the representatives. These works not only achieved great achievements in literature, but also had extraordinary artistic expression. 2. The novel has many styles. There were many styles of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as traditional hero novels such as Water Margins, romantic novels such as Dream of the Red Chamber, and ghost novels such as Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. These works reflected different cultural values and aesthetic tastes, which provided rich reference and enlightenment for later novels. 3. The development of novel theory. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the novel theory gradually developed into a complete novel theory system, such as "the novel originated from the folk","new stories" and so on. These theories had a profound impact on the creation of novels in later generations. 4. The novel's rating has increased. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, not only were there a large number of novels, but they also achieved high artistic achievements, which were recognized and praised by the society at that time and later readers. These works were evaluated as " beautiful writing, complete plots, and profound characters ", which had a positive impact on the creation of later novels. The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the prosperous period of Chinese novel creation, and they had made great achievements in the field of novels. These works not only reflected the social reality at that time, but also had a profound impact on later literature and art.
There were several reasons why novels flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties: 1. The rise of literary tradition: The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the peak period of ancient Chinese literature. Many traditional literary works such as the Song Dynasty prose were created. These works had profound cultural heritage and artistic value, which provided a good foundation for the development of novels. 2. The development of society and economy: The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the peak period of the development of society and economy in ancient China. The society was prosperous and the people were rich and colorful. This provided rich materials and subjects for the creation of novels. 3. The variety of novel forms: The novel forms of the Ming and Qing Dynasties were varied. There were traditional novel forms such as legendary novels, strange novels, and romance novels. There were also new novel forms such as detective novels, science fiction novels, and martial arts novels. This provided more choices for the development of novels. 4. The expansion of the reader group: The reader group in the Ming and Qing Dynasties expanded their living standards and their demand for literary works became more diverse, which provided more markets and readers for the creation of novels. In summary, the reasons for the prosperity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties were many, including literary tradition, social and economic development, the variety of novel forms, and the expansion of readers.
The influence of Confucianism and Confucianism in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was mainly reflected in the following aspects: 1. Understanding of the classics: Scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties placed more emphasis on the understanding and interpretation of the classics, focusing on the role of the classics. They emphasized the importance of "reason" and believed that "reason" was the origin and law of all things in the universe. This kind of understanding and explanation of the classics made Confucianism and Confucianism closer to reality in the process of secularizing. 2. The attitude towards society: The secularization of Confucianism and Confucianism in the Ming and Qing Dynasties made Confucianism's attitude towards society more pragmatic. Confucian scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties emphasized the realistic needs of the society and believed that only by playing the role of Confucianism according to the realistic needs could they truly meet the needs of the society. This concern and understanding of social reality made Confucianism more lively in the process of secularizing. 3. Pay attention to education: The seculalization of Confucianism and Confucianism in the Ming and Qing Dynasties made Confucianism more widely used in education. Confucian scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties believed that education was an important way to realize a human-oriented society, so they attached great importance to education. This emphasis on education made Confucianism more practical in the process of secularizing. 4. The attitude towards religion: The secularization of Confucianism and Confucianism in the Ming and Qing Dynasties made the relationship between Confucianism and religion even more alienated. Confucian scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties believed that religion was a spiritual activity that was separated from reality. Only by using Confucianism to solve the problems of reality could a human-centered society be truly realized. This attitude towards religion made Confucianism more independent in the process of secularizing.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, novels were popular, including classic novels such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Journey to the West, and Water Margins. These novels pursued twists and turns in the plot, rich characters, beautiful language, and also paid attention to the performance of social reality and historical events. In addition, there were many excellent short stories and essays in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, The Scholars, and Three Words and Two Pats. These works not only had high literary achievements, but also made important contributions to the development and prosperity of Chinese literature.
The main reason why novels were so popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties was the development of commerce and printing technology, as well as the development of social economy and the popularity of culture. During this period, the creation and spread of Chinese novels had been greatly developed and became an important part of Chinese traditional culture.
There were many reasons for the prosperity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 1. Social unrest: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China's society experienced many political, economic, and cultural changes. These changes led to social instability and the suffering of the people, which provided a rich theme and material for the creation of novels. 2. Cultural tradition: The Ming and Qing Dynasties were an important period of Chinese cultural tradition. As a form of literature, novels also inherited the fine tradition of traditional literature, providing the foundation for the prosperity of novels. 3. The rise of novel creation: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, novel creation gradually rose and gradually became a major literary form. These novels had their own unique styles and characteristics, attracting a large number of readers. 4. The increase of reading demand: During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with the development of China's economy and the acceleration of the process of urban development, people's living standards continued to improve, and the demand for cultural knowledge also continued to increase. This provided a sufficient reader base for the prosperity of novels. 5. The richness of the novel's content: The novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties not only covered a wide range of social content, but also paid attention to the twists and turns of the plot and the exquisiteness of the characters. These characteristics attracted the readers 'interest. There were many reasons for the prosperity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including social unrest, cultural traditions, the rise of novel creation, the growth of reading demand, and the richness and characteristics of the novel content itself.
The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the peak of classical novels mainly because of the following reasons: 1. Prosperity of creation: The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the prosperous period of novel creation. Many famous novelists such as Cao Xueqin and Lu Xun appeared, and their works became the representative of classic novels. 2. The variety of topics: novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties covered a variety of topics, such as "Dream of the Red Chamber", which depicted the life of the feudal society,"Journey to the West", which told the story of Sun Wukong learning from the scriptures, and "Water Margins", which told the story of the uprising of Liangshan heroes. 3. Diverse styles: The novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties had a variety of styles, including realistic novels that described social life, romantic love novels, and satirical novels that reflected social reality. The establishment of the status of literature: the novels of the Ming and Qing Dynasties became literary works and were widely recognized by the literary world. For example,"Dream of the Red Chamber" was hailed as the peak of Chinese classical novels and became a classic in the history of Chinese literature. To sum up, the Ming and Qing Dynasties were the peak of classical novels because of the prosperity of novel creation, the variety of topics, the variety of styles, and the establishment of the status of literature.
The novels of Ming and Qing Dynasties were mainly in the form of chapters because the creation of novels at that time was mainly popular in the feudal society. As a form of literature, novels were also influenced by feudal culture. Chapter is a traditional Chinese literary genre. Each chapter ends with a four-line poem, and each chapter usually includes 80 to 120 chapters. Each chapter is divided into four lines to form a chapter narrative structure. This kind of structure was not only in line with the narrative habits of ancient Chinese novels, but also convenient for the author to arrange chapters and chapters according to the development of the plot to maintain the cohesiveness and integrity of the novel. In addition, the structure of the chapter also had clear plot clues and character relationships, which made it easy for the author to narrate and describe. There was a certain interval between each chapter, so readers could better grasp the plot development and character changes of the novel. At the same time, it was also beneficial for the author to insert necessary descriptions and lyricism between the chapters to enhance the artistic appeal of the novel. The novels of Ming and Qing Dynasties were mainly in the form of chapters, which was not only influenced by traditional culture, but also in line with the basic rules of novel creation and the reading needs of readers.