People / group

Scholar-officials

Scholar-officials were the educated class of imperial China who staffed the civil service after passing the state examinations based on the Confucian classics. They combined literary learning with administrative responsibility and enjoyed high social prestige. Accounts of the Ming Empire describe them as the backbone of Ming governance and society.

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Han DynastyDeclineMing EmpireSocioeconomyConfucianismCommunity

Mentioned in 1 state history

Northern Qi

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Scholar-officials. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scholar-officials
MLA
“Scholar-officials.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scholar-officials. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Scholar-officials.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scholar-officials.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Scholar-officials’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/scholar-officials (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻