Did bad luck originally refer to the landing of the imperial examination?

Bad luck was originally related to the imperial examination.

Unlucky is a Chinese word, originally referring to people who failed the imperial examination. In the history of China, the imperial examination was a way to select talents. Only by passing the exam can you become an official. Those who fail are called unfortunate people. Later, this word was used to describe bad things or unfortunate situations.

Around the end of the Ming Dynasty, imperial examiners usually put up a flagpole in front of their homes before the exam, which the locals called the "lintel" for good luck. If you pass the exam, the flagpole will be erected to show the brilliance of the lintel; On the contrary, if you fail in the exam and put down the flagpole, it is called "bad luck".

imperial examination system

The imperial examination system is a system in which ancient China literati took part in the talent selection examination. This is the system of selecting officials through examinations in feudal dynasties. It is called imperial examination because it adopts the method of selecting scholars by subjects. The imperial examination system was implemented in Sui Dynasty, which lasted for more than 1000 years, until the last Jinshi examination was held in the 31st year of Guangxu (1905).

The imperial examination originated in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, with the decline of the gentry and the rise of the civilian landlords, the system of selecting officials and paying attention to family status has been unable to continue. Founded in the Sui Dynasty, since the establishment of the imperial examination system in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, ordinary people have basically relied on the imperial examination to get the opportunity to be an official through reading examinations.