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Jinshi () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referred to in English-language sources as Imperial Scholars.
The jinshi degree was first created after the institutionalization of the civil service exam. Initially it had been "for six categories" but was later consolidated into a single degree. The examination system first appeared during the Han dynasty, but the jinshi degree first appeared under the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui. During the Tang dynasty, every year around one to two percent of test takers would obtain a jinshi title out of a total of one to two thousand test takers. By the second half of the Tang dynasty, the majority of senior government officials were jinshi degree holders.Wang, E. H., & Yang, C. Z. (2025). The Political Economy of China’s Imperial Examination System. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge link.
The numbers of jinshi degrees given out were increased in the Song dynasty, and the examinations were given every three years. Most senior officials of the Song dynasty were jinshi holders. History of Song
The Ming dynasty resumed the civil-service exam after its occurrence became more irregular in the Yuan dynasty. After the reign of the Emperor Yingzong of Ming, it became the rule that only jinshi holders could enter the Hanlin Academy. On average around 89 jinshi per year were conferred.Ho 1962
During the Qing dynasty around 102 jinshi degrees were given a year.
The highest scoring jinshi in the country was known as the zhuangyuan, a term that survives today as a high scoring gaokao test taker or just someone who is very good at a skill.
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