清代坊刻四書舉業用書的生產活動

Qing Dynasty Production of Commercially-Printed Preparation Aids for the 'Four Books' Examination

清代科舉取士「雖分三場」，卻存在「只重首場」的現象，士人讀書方向主要是這項考試規定的朱熹《四書章句集註》及其相關讀物。對市場動向嗅覺敏銳的民間出版商看準了這個商機，在與文人密切配合下，編刊了多不勝數、符合考試要求的四書舉業冊書像「講章」、「制藝」、「考據訓詁」等，來滿足士子對這項考試的備考需求，並通過了各種促銷途徑，像在書店裏張貼新書通告或封面、派發簡明書目、在報章刊登新書啟事與告白來宣傳推介這些圖書。除固定書局外，也通過臨時書局分店、考場外的臨時書攤、賣報人、書報代售處、藥鋪、綢莊、信局等銷售舉業用書，使得它們的銷售網絡覆蓋至「山僻小鎮」。不少士子將這些在坊間俯拾即是的讀物奉為至寶，對正經正史不置一顧，嚴重地影響他們的閱讀重心。清廷試圖通過整理和刊刻按照程朱理學家觀點詮釋的儒學著述，嚴飭負責地方學校教育的官員和教官督促生儒誦習官方認可的標準讀物，來端正士行與矯正學風。但地方執行人員的怠職致使這個舉措事倍功半，使得這些讀物得到伸展空間，依然不斷地流通傳布在當時坊間。

During the Qing dynasty, the civil service examination was divided into three parts, with greater weight given to the first part. Accordingly, candidates spent most of their time preparing to write essays on Zhu Xi's 朱熹 ”Sishu zhangju jizhu” (四書章句集註Collected Commentaries on the Four Books) and related texts, being the set topic for that part of the examination. With their acute sense for market trends, commercial printing houses siezed the opportunity to satisfy the demands of candidates, working closely with literati to publish a vast number of books aiding preparation for the ”Four Books” examination. These included commentaries, essay-writing manuals, and textual research and exegetical materials. These books were then sold through a vast network of sellers, which besides permanent booksellers included temporary branches of bookshops and bookstalls outside examination rooms, news sellers, medicine shops, silk shops, and postal shops. Many candidates so highly valued these readily available materials that they never referred back to the canonical Classics and histories, which had a considerable impact on the focus of their reading. To bring both scholars and academic study back into line, the Qing court first systematized and then published Neo-Confucian interpretations of Confucian works, ordering officials and teachers responsible for education in local schools to see to it that scholars recite and study government-approved texts. However, negligence in execution resulted in the move being largely ineffective, allowing commercial examination preparation materials spa e to circulate and spread along the bookstalls of the time.