The Hanlin Academy
101
The number of members of the Academy was not great, although most of the high-ranking officials who had left the Academy and were appointed elsewhere still held their former titles at the Academy. The list of officials at the Academy was as follows:
Officials
Rank Number Chancellors (Chang-yüan hsüeh-shih) 2B 2 Readers (Shih-tu hsüeh-shih) 4B 6 Expositors (Shih-chiang hsüeh-shih) 4B 6 Sub-Readers (Shih-tu) 5B 6 Sub-Expositors (Shih-chiang) 5B 6 First-Class Compilers (Hsiu-chuan) 6B Not fixed Second-Class Compilers (Pien-hsiu) 7A Not fixed Correctors (Chien-t'ao) 7B Not fixed Probationers (Shu-chi-shih)Notice that the senior officials of the Academy totalled twenty-six at any one time. As to the junior members, the number was not fixed and varied from time to time. In order to have an approximate calculation of the total number of Hanlin officials, a table is attempted below:
Years No. of Compilers directly from Metropolitan Exam No. of Compilers & Correctors promoted from Probationers No. of Probationers No. of senior officials Total 1658-1661 3 27 35 26 91 1685-1688 3 32 40 26 101 1727-1730 3 36 58 26 123 1745-1747 3 42 54 26 125The number of officials listed above ranges from 91 to 125. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the average total of Hanlin officials in the period 1644-1795 was about 100. With such a relatively small number of scholar-officials as active members, the Academy however played a vital role in the Imperial Government. In order to understand the Academy, it is necessary to describe the multifarious functions performed by its members.
THE HANLIN ACADEMY
101
The number of members of the Academy was not great, although most of the high-ranking officials who had left the Academy and were appointed elsewhere still held their former titles at the Academy. The list of officials at the Academy was as follows:
Officials
Chancellors (Chang-yüan hsüeh-shih) 2B Readers (Shih-tu_hsüeh-shih)
Rank
Number
2
4B
6
Expositors (Shih-chiang hsüch-shih)
4B
6
Sub-Readers (Shih-tu)
5B
6
Sub-Expositors (Shih-chiang)
5B
6
First-Class Compilers (Hsiu-chuan)
6B
Not fixed
Second-Class Compilers (Pien-hsiu)
7A
Not fixed
Correctors (Chien-t'ao)
7B
Not fixed
Probationers (Shu-chi-shih)
Notice that the senior officials of the Academy totalled twenty- six at any one time. As to the junior members, the number was not fixed and varied from time to time, In order to have an approximate calculation of the total number of Hanlin officials, a table is attempted below:
Years
No. of Compilers
directly from
Metropolitan
No. of Compilers & Correctors
promoted from Probationers
No. of Probationers
No. of
senior
Jotal
officials
Exam
1658-1661
3
27
35
26
91
1685-1688
3
32
40
26
101
1727-1730
3
36
58
26
123
1745-1747
3
42
54
26
125
The number of officials listed above ranges from 91 to 125. It is therefore reasonable to assume that the average total of Hanlin officials in the period 1644-1795 was about 100.2 With such a relatively small number of scholar-officials as active members, the Academy however played a vital role in the Imperial Government. In order to understand the Academy, it is necessary to describe the multifarious functions performed by its members.
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