당대의 吏部 銓選과 관료 인사 (A Study on the Personnel Management System of the Tang Dynasty through analysis of the Assessment and Selection for an Appointment in the Ministry of Personnel)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 동양사학회
· 수록지 정보 : 동양사학연구 / 121호 / 139 ~ 187페이지
· 저자명 : 김정희

초록

For the low-ranking officials(below the sixth grade) who had the overwhelming majority in the bureaucracy, any permanent position had not been guaranteed by the government during the Tang Dynasty period. The Tang government officials had been repeatedly suspended and reinstated and strived to survive in the particularly harsh personnel management system during their official careers. Although they held an actual post, in particular, they would be suspended after fixed terms of office. After several years of the suspension, in addition, they should participate in the Assessment and Selection for an Appointment in the Ministry of Personnel(libuquanxuan吏部 銓選) to be appointed again. The compulsory suspension for the low-ranking officials was attributed to the imbalance between the number of vacant position and that of examinees. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong(玄宗), for instance, the competition rate of the examination rose to eight or nine to one.
As a solution, therefore, the Tang government introduced a new recruiting system like the Principle of Promotion by Seniority(xunzige循資格). Furthermore, the several complementary measures such as Direct Selection of Government Official by Emperor(zhiju制擧), Special Examination for Superior Talent in the Ministry of Personnel(libukemuxuan吏部科目選)’, and Provision of Special Promotion for the Candidates with Superior Grades(pingpanrudeng平判入等) were prepared by the Tang government. In no time, however, the implementation of its complementary systems for the Principle of Promotion by Seniority turned out to be ineffective in settling the problems. In contrast to the original intent of the Principle of Promotion by Seniority, the complementary systems facilitated the government official candidates’ participation in the exam every year. Even though they were in suspension, for instance, they could be appointed to the officials with actual post immediately by passing Special Examination for Superior Talent in the Ministry of Personnel also. After the suspension of an appointment was over, those who got superior grades in the assessment could be promoted to even higher position than they used to be promoted according to the seniority system. As a result, the Tang government’s measure for participation restriction ended in failure. Consequently, the Tang government’s attempts to improve the personnel management system did not work effectively.
Besides their values as significant historical materials for the studies of institutional history or political history, these interesting stories were also worth of note as valuable materials for the studies of social history. Since over eighty percent of government officials were the low-ranking officials, and most of them had never been promoted to higher-ranking officials(over the fifth grade) through the assessment for their whole life, it was extremely tempting for them to take a short cut and therefore various kinds of bribery and corruption frequently occurred between the examinees and exam supervisors. Therefore, these stories vividly described various people who had been intimately involved with the Personnel Management system during the Tang Dynasty period.

영어초록

For the low-ranking officials(below the sixth grade) who had the overwhelming majority in the bureaucracy, any permanent position had not been guaranteed by the government during the Tang Dynasty period. The Tang government officials had been repeatedly suspended and reinstated and strived to survive in the particularly harsh personnel management system during their official careers. Although they held an actual post, in particular, they would be suspended after fixed terms of office. After several years of the suspension, in addition, they should participate in the Assessment and Selection for an Appointment in the Ministry of Personnel(libuquanxuan吏部 銓選) to be appointed again. The compulsory suspension for the low-ranking officials was attributed to the imbalance between the number of vacant position and that of examinees. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong(玄宗), for instance, the competition rate of the examination rose to eight or nine to one.
As a solution, therefore, the Tang government introduced a new recruiting system like the Principle of Promotion by Seniority(xunzige循資格). Furthermore, the several complementary measures such as Direct Selection of Government Official by Emperor(zhiju制擧), Special Examination for Superior Talent in the Ministry of Personnel(libukemuxuan吏部科目選)’, and Provision of Special Promotion for the Candidates with Superior Grades(pingpanrudeng平判入等) were prepared by the Tang government. In no time, however, the implementation of its complementary systems for the Principle of Promotion by Seniority turned out to be ineffective in settling the problems. In contrast to the original intent of the Principle of Promotion by Seniority, the complementary systems facilitated the government official candidates’ participation in the exam every year. Even though they were in suspension, for instance, they could be appointed to the officials with actual post immediately by passing Special Examination for Superior Talent in the Ministry of Personnel also. After the suspension of an appointment was over, those who got superior grades in the assessment could be promoted to even higher position than they used to be promoted according to the seniority system. As a result, the Tang government’s measure for participation restriction ended in failure. Consequently, the Tang government’s attempts to improve the personnel management system did not work effectively.
Besides their values as significant historical materials for the studies of institutional history or political history, these interesting stories were also worth of note as valuable materials for the studies of social history. Since over eighty percent of government officials were the low-ranking officials, and most of them had never been promoted to higher-ranking officials(over the fifth grade) through the assessment for their whole life, it was extremely tempting for them to take a short cut and therefore various kinds of bribery and corruption frequently occurred between the examinees and exam supervisors. Therefore, these stories vividly described various people who had been intimately involved with the Personnel Management system during the Tang Dynasty period.

참고자료

· 없음