隋廢鄉官、行科舉，其效果至唐前期逐漸浮現。在官僚行為方面，出現士不飾行的行為分化；在政治結構方面，引發唐代政治史上朋黨與貪瀆兩大難題；在地域社會內部權力結構方面，導致胥吏、富豪的崛起，民遂趨於貧弱。面對上述形勢，士人只能通過入仕管道，憑藉國家權力由外而內介入地域社會。但士人競宦貪仕之風盛行，行為漸趨分化而益不飾行。歷經中宗、睿宗兩朝政爭，其弊益顯，至開元前後，部分有識之士從制度與環境變遷批判士風與文學，焦點放在士人的外部政治社會實踐。 至安史亂後，權豪請託，壟斷入仕之途，官職競爭益熾，朋黨之勢漸萌，士風益趨敗壞。另一方面，兩稅法導致生民之患的擴大。在士風惡化與生民之患擴大的背景下，貞元、元和之際的士人自省之風漸分化為「修身」與「理物」兩途，韓愈、李翱等強調心性，柳宗元、劉禹錫則關注士人的外在實踐。柳宗元本於生民之意的天人之分論，注重人事自為，著重提昇士人的積極性，以舒解生民之患。

The Sui (隋) Dynasty abolished the local bureaucrats and introduced the system of national examination for the civil service. The effect of such change became noticeable at the early stage of the Tang Dynasty. The Literati paid less attention to their behavior and manner. The formation of cliques between certain literati and the corruption were also the obvious outcomes. Civil servants and the gentries emerged as the center of the social network. The commoners suffered oft from poverty and lost their voice gradually. After the An-Shi-Rebel (安史之亂) during Xuan-zong's (玄宗) reign, civil service was monopolized by the influential gentries. Political cliques became more powerful and decadent bureaucrats a common scene. Some scholars of the Zhen-yuan (貞元) and yuan-he (元和) periods started promoting self-introspection, which appeared in two main forms: Self-discipline and Learning from the Nature. Han Yu (韓愈) and Li Ao (李翱) emphasized the study of mind, while Liu Zong-yuan (柳宗元) and Liu Yu-xi (劉禹錫) accented the Learning of and from the nature. Both aimed at the positive attitude towards life the heaven-mandates, in order to create a better living condition for the people.