Highest degree attainable through the imperial examination system. Candidates sat for the test in Peking, where it was given once every three years throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties until the abolition of the examination system in 1905. Holders of the jinshi degree were assigned to high offices in the provinces and the imperial capital.

chin shEE] Title granted to those students who passed the most difficult Chinese examination on all of Chinese literature; became immediate dignitaries and eligible for high office. (p. 428)