China

The eight-legged essay (Chinese: 八股文; pinyin: bāgǔwén; lit. 'eight bone text') was a style of
essay in imperial examinations during the Ming and Qing dynasties in China. The eight-legged
essay was needed for those test takers in these civil service tests to show their merits for
government service, often focusing on Confucian thought and knowledge of the Four Books and
Five Classics, in relation to governmental ideals. Test takers could not write in innovative or
creative ways, but needed to conform to the standards of the eight-legged essay. Various skills
were examined, including the ability to write coherently and to display basic logic. In certain
times, the candidates were expected to spontaneously compose poetry upon a set theme, whose
value was also sometimes questioned, or eliminated as part of the test material. This was a
major argument in favor of the eight-legged essay, arguing that it were better to eliminate
creative art in favor of prosaic literacy. In the history of Chinese literature, the eight-legged essay
is often said to have caused China's "cultural stagnation and economic backwardness" in the
[10]
19th century.

Forms and styles