Why were the "gentry" in Wei and Jin Dynasties called "gentry"? What is the connection with taxis in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period?

The origin of the gentry can be traced back to the "gentry" class in the pre-Qin period. The "scholar" class was a specific social class with a certain position in ancient China society, which later evolved into a general term for intellectuals. At first, it may refer to the samurai who belonged to the same clan as clan and tribal leaders and dignitaries at the end of primitive society. After entering the class society, they became a part of the ruling class. Because learning was in the government in ancient times, only the aristocratic children above the scholar level had cultural knowledge, so the scholar became the name of people with certain knowledge and skills. During the Spring and Autumn Period, countries fought endlessly, the role of infantry increased, the role of chariots and warriors decreased, and the status of scholars changed. In order to expand their influence and consolidate their position, some big officials tried their best to attract scholars to show off, and many scholars took refuge in them. There are also some scholars who go to funerals as gifts, or run businesses to solve economic difficulties; Others give private lectures and impart cultural knowledge. Since then, a number of taxis specializing in cultural activities have appeared in the history of China. They traveled around the world with active thoughts, and made great contributions to the emergence of a hundred schools of thought in China's ancient academic field and the development of cultural science. During the Warring States period, the war of hegemony and merger became more intense, so the constantly turbulent lobbyists came into being. They travel between countries and act as lobbyists, and strategists are their representatives. At this time, the wind of cultivating scholars in various countries is also very popular. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the connotation of scholar changed further. Scholars, when called scholar-officials, can refer to soldiers in the army, often collectively referred to as officials serving in the central government and counties; Known as a scholar, it generally refers to intellectuals with high feudal cultural literacy and engaged in spiritual and cultural activities.

In the Han dynasty, scholars attached great importance to their fame (that is, personality, integrity and academic ability). Once a celebrity, the utilitarian position will follow, so the literati will either focus on integrity, self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world, and abide by feudal ethics. Or make friends with glitz, make friends with friends, brag about each other, and seek fame and reputation. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, discussion words were very popular among scholars. This kind of personal problem belongs to the folk scope.

During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Nine Grades System was established, and the right to judge scholars was returned to the government. People who are judged by Zhongzheng are given different grades (native products) according to their virtue and family values, and then awarded various official positions. A person who has not been appraised by Chiang Kai-shek may not be an official. So scholars have the meaning of a certain class. The opposition between scholars and ordinary people is gradually emerging. All officials with nine grades or above, those who win the first place in authentic products are all scholars, otherwise they are ordinary. Among the scholars, there is also a family, which can be an official by virtue of its parents and grandparents, and an official from generation to generation, especially for the gentry. The gentry reached its peak in the Eastern Jin Dynasty and declined in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the gentry gradually withdrew from the historical stage, but the concept of the gentry as a specific class still existed. After the Song Dynasty, the word scholar or scholar gradually became the general name of ordinary scholars, no longer referring to officials.