Taking officials as teachers is the educational system of Qin dynasty, which originated from the educational proposition of Legalists. "Taking officials as teachers and teaching by law" means that both "ordinary people" and "ordinary officials" learn from "judges and legal officials" and strengthen legal education. The "official" in Taking Officials as Teachers refers not to "all" officials, but to "judges and legal officers" (original: Shang Junshu. "Both the government and the people (who know the law in advance) asked the judge. So all the officials and people in the world know the law. ""Therefore, a saint must have an official, who is the law and the teacher of the world, hence the name. ").

In the thirty-fourth year of Qin Shihuang (2 13 BC), the educational system of "taking officials as teachers while burning books" was implemented. The educational system in Qin Dynasty originated from the educational thought of Legalists.

After Wang Wan, the former prime minister, Dr. Chun once again suggested that the first emperor take the ancient road and enfeoffment his descendants to prevent heroes from usurping the throne. Li Si, the prime minister, retorted that advocating learning from the ancients without paying attention to practical problems would certainly make people impatient.

In the thirty-fourth year of Qin Shihuang (2 13 BC), Prime Minister Li Si suggested burning the history books of all countries except Qin. In addition to doctoral officers, those who hide hundreds of books and discuss hundreds of theories privately should also be punished. Only practical and non-political books such as medicine, divination and tree planting can be preserved. People who want to study law can only learn from officials and master it in practice. Implement the education system of "teaching according to law and taking officials as teachers"

Taking officials as teachers means that there is no one with writing ability in the whole society except literary officials. People can only learn from government officials if they want to learn to write. Government officials assume the responsibilities of educational administrators and teachers. The content of the study is the decree of the imperial court. See this article: Teaching according to law. )

As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, all ancient cultural relics were in the hands of the government. Rites, music, shooting and dancing are all hidden in the ancestral hall. There are no books and utensils among the people, and academics are dedicated to officials. Education is none other than an official. At that time, I was also studying in the government, and the officer and the teacher were one. By the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, academic prosperity, the decline of official learning and the rise of private learning, education broke through the limitation of "taking officials as teachers". In the Qin dynasty, in order to control public opinion and curb ideas, a system of "taking officials as teachers" was established throughout the country.