What were the characteristics of the content and form of the eight-part essay?
The eight-part essay was a style of writing used in the imperial examination in ancient China. The content was limited to eight texts, and each text had to conform to a certain format and rules, including word count, sentence structure, tone, and so on. This style required the structure of the article to be rigorous, the content concise, and the language standard to conform to the ancient Chinese grammar and rhetorical skills. In terms of form, the format of the eight-part essay was very strict, including the title, the body, and the signature. The topic was short and concise. To accurately summarize the main topic of the article, each sentence was required to have word restrictions. Between each paragraph, appropriate related words and transition sentences were required. The format was required to be standardized and the font was neat. The content of the eight-part essay paid attention to the cultural and educational meaning. It required the article to express accurately and profoundly. At the same time, it also paid attention to the ideology and artistry. It required the language, sentence structure, rhetoric skills and other aspects of the article to reach a very high level in order to better convey the author's thoughts and feelings. In short, the content and form of the eight-part essay had very high requirements and standards. It was an important part of ancient Chinese education and examination, and had a profound impact on later literature and philology.