The feudal system in the Zhou Dynasty stipulated that nobles had four ranks: Emperor, vassal, doctor and scholar.
All the above three ranks had a certain amount of land, and the land in the whole country was owned by Emperor, while Emperor gave vassal States to vassals, and vassals gave them cities to doctors, but scholars could not possess land, which was what Mencius said. Therefore, no matter how poor a scholar is, he should wear a sword, because it represents the dignity of his nobility, that is, "perseverance" as Mencius said.
In the Warring States period, the status of the scholar class was improved, and some doctors and courtiers living in the scholar class held heavy power in the Spring and Autumn Period, such as the Yanghu in the Confucius era. By the Warring States period, scholars were mainly divided into several types: scribes, warriors, debaters and counselors. According to their names, we can guess their specialties.
These scholars are attached to doctors and princes, giving them advice, that is, we call them public guests. When the master provides them with food and accommodation, they must be loyal to the master, but they are definitely not slaves, because they enjoy personal freedom. If the master loses power or treats him badly, he can choose to leave.
The four sons of the Warring States have the habit of keeping public guests, and they often have 3, diners. In Xinling County, the thief who stole the symbol to save Zhao was a scholar. As long as he had one skill, he later developed into a farmer and a small landowner. In Confucius' theory, scholars were given the heavy responsibility of managing the country. Confucius thought that taxis were the hope of the Zhou Dynasty at that time.
The gentry who appeared after the Eastern Han Dynasty was very different from the taxis of the Zhou Dynasty.
The class of scholars remained until the Western Han Dynasty, and Kuai Tong, a counselor in Han Xin, was a scholar.