「必取行實」與「務存質樸」：論元結〈問進士〉五道的現實關懷

Practical Talents and Articles: On the Realistic Concern of “Wen Jinshi” by Yuan Jie

元結〈問進士〉表面上只是一次州府試進士的五道策題，實際上反映的內容卻相當豐富，蘊涵著作者強烈的現實關懷。首先，元結再授道州刺史時，已經有長期的從政經驗，文學創作思想也已成熟，這是策題創作的現實基礎。其次，具體策題每一道又基本上可分三部分：一、是對社會現實的觀察，引出問題；二、是對已有解決辦法的思考，深入問題；三、提出新問題，要求考生根據策題提供對策或者解答原因。最後，針對「進士」科弊病，試圖從兩個方面進行引導和改變：一、反對「浮薄」之人，「必取行實」之士；二、反對「淫靡」之文，主張寫作「務存質樸」。

Yuan Jie’s “Wen Jinshi” is not simply an examination topic but in fact contains rich content that reflects the author’s strong realistic concerns. By the time Yuan Jie was once again an official in Taozhou, he had accumulated extensive experience in politics, and his literary creativity had matured, which was the realistic basis for the creation of his work. Each question can be divided into three parts: observing social realities leading to problems, devising existing solutions to in-depth problems, and proposing new questions and asking candidates to provide countermeasures or reasons for answers to these questions. Finally, by targeting “jinshi” malpractice, he tried to change the “jinshi” in two manners: first, by opposing those who are frivolous and instead pursuing practical talents; second, by advocating writing practical articles over beautiful ones.