中國的選舉制度主要經歷了察舉制、九品中正制、科舉制等三個發展階段。其中科舉制度歷時最為長久，影響中國的教育與政治至為深遠，因此了解科舉制度乃為了解中國政治、社會發展之重要基礎。本文即試圖經由隋代選舉制度之改變，探討唐代科舉制度之建立，藉以了解中國科舉取士制度之初建過程。 經由本文之探討可知中國的科舉制度源於漢、興於隋，而大備於唐。其中，隋代是重要之轉變時代，選才之方式不再只重推薦，而偏重考試。同時，科舉之實權機關由地方轉變為中央政府，這是集權中央之重要手段。然而，就科舉制度的建立與對後世的影響而言，唐代科舉制度的建立影響最為深遠。例如：禮部主持貢舉為歷代所依循；唐代受到重視的「進士科」，持續至清末依舊為士子所趨；流傳於後代的許多科辭考試辦法皆創自唐代。

　　　　　Ancient China's civil service selection system evolved through the stages of the Recommendation system, the Nine-grades Just System, and the Testing System. The Testing System was the longest of these stages, and the system has had a far-reaching influence on China's education and government. Understanding the civil service test system is thus an important foundation for understanding the social and political development of China. This paper attempts to understand the early development of the civil service test system from its establishment in the time of the Sui dynasty. This paper shows that China's ancient testing system had its inception during the Han dynasty, took shape during the Sui dynasty, and achieved a mature state during the Tang dynasty. The Sui dynasty was an important turning point in that tests began to take precedence over recommendations in the selection of talented official candidates. At the same time, authority over the selection of candidates shifted from local officials to the central government, which was a key means of centralizing political power. Nevertheless, as far as influence on later dynasties was concerned, the establishment of a testing system in the Tang had the most far-reaching impact. For example, the recommendation of candidates by the Ministry of Rites became a tradition over subsequent centuries. The high-ranking "chinshih" category was the goal of all ambitious scholars from the Tang dynasty all the way to the Qing dynasty. Many of the tsts and associated practices that flourished in recent dynasties originated in the Tang.