The present paper,researching into the relationship known as tongnian,which referred to imperial offi-cials who past Keju,or the highest civil service examination,in the same year,points out that tongnian was attached much greater importance in Ming and it had been trichotomized according to the degree of closeness among officials.Moreover,it reveals that this special relationship did extend both positive and negative influence on the official circles of Ming.
维普
万方数据
