所谓乡绅者,即“乡间的绅士”也~①。那么在中国古代社会,具备何种资格才可成为乡绅呢?中外学者对于这一问题,都给出了近乎一致的答案:乡绅就是“在他们所居住的地区受过教育的读书人,他们一般都完成了读书人所必读的内容,而且已经通过了一两级通向仕途的科举考试”~②。或“乡里中对这些通过科举,成为官僚的士大夫,不管是任职在外,或休闲、退隐在乡的,都以缙绅之 The so-called gentry, that is, ”country gentleman “ also ~ ①. So in ancient China, what kind of qualifications would qualify as gentry? Chinese and foreign scholars have given a nearly unanimous answer to this question: the gentry is ”an educated scholar who lives in the area where they live Completed the content that must be read by the scholar, and passed one or two levels of examination leading to official career. Or "In the commune, to these bureaucrats who are civil servants and civil servants, regardless of whether they are serving outside or relaxing or retirement in townships,