jinshi

English

Etymology

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 進士／进士 (jìnshì).

Noun

jinshi

1. “advanced” or “entered graduate”, a scholar who had successfully passed the highest level of the Chinese imperial examinations (殿試), usually held triennially at the imperial court.
   • [1965 December, Ramon L. Y. Woon, Irving Y. Lo, “Poets and Poetry of China's Last Empire”, in Literature East and West‎^[2], volume IX, number 4, New Paltz, N. Y.: State University College, →OCLC, page 334:

     Fan was a native of En-shih, Hupeh. Handsome and intelligent, he went to Peking and made a name for himself quickly after passing the chin-shih examination in 1877.]

   • [1976, Ichisada Miyazaki, “The Provincial Examination and Reexamination”, in Conrad Schirokauer, transl., China's Examination Hell: The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China‎^[3], Weatherhill, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 47:

     Again there is the story of the experience that befell Huang Yüeh, who obtained his chin-shih during the Ch’ien-lung era (1736-96) and rose to become director of the Board of Rites (li-pu shang-shu), equivalent to a minister of education. He went into the compound to take the examination and was sitting in his cell when a girl came flitting down his lane. Her dress was extremely shabby and her hair disheveled, but her face and figure were extraordinarily beautiful.]

   • [1985, Thomas Carl Bartlett, Ku Yen-wu's Response to "the Demise of Human Society"‎^[4], Princeton University, →OCLC, page 83:

     T'ien was a Shun-chih period chin-shih who received highest rating for his performance as magistrate of T'ai-k'ang county in Honan, and was subsequently appointed to a series of capital posts, including Vice Censor-in-chief, and Jr. Vice Minister of Works.]

Anagrams

• Shinji