本文詳述汪大燮在晚清二十年的史事，藉由制度變局中汪大燮的仕途發展及其心路歷程，探討科舉制度之下外交官成長的經歷。汪大燮以舉人出身，捐納內閣中書，為求仕途發展，考取總理衙門章京，一路在總理衙門、外務部遷轉，依託總理衙門章京及外務部丞、參制度，積累交涉經驗，由外務部司官、駐外公使，最終升任外務部侍郎，成為清末民初最早一批近代外交官。其國家觀念，也由早期的忠君事主，逐漸轉變為支持憲政、國家利益至上等觀念的集合體。汪大燮的這種發展路徑，與清末民初接受新式外語、法律訓練，進而進入外交界服務的的職業外交官不同。由士大夫轉型為外交官，是近代外交官形成的模式之一。

This articles takes the experiences of Wang Daxie in the late Qing dynasty as an example to examine the growth and development of diplomats under the imperial examination system and changing institutions. Wang Daxie, who was a famous diplomat during late Qing dynasty and early republican China, was only a provincial graduate (舉人) at first. As an official he first assumed the post of secretary to the Grand Secretariat (內閣中書) by way of a donation (捐納), and then assumed the post of secretary to the Zongli Yamen - foreign office - (總理衙門章京) through an entrance examination. Afterwards he was promoted from from a lower level official in the Zongli Yamen to become the vice president of the newly established Board of Foreign Affairs (外務部) owing to his rich diplomatic experience and having been secretary to the Zongli Yamen and an executive official (承政官制) in the Board of Foreign Affairs. His politics also changed from being loyal to the empire to prioritising the national interest and supporting constitutionalism. Wang Daxie’s career was utterly unlike those of modern diplomats, who joined the diplomatic circle due to their training in foreign languages and laws of Western countries. Thus changing career from being a scholar-official to becoming a diplomat is one way in which modern diplomats assumed their posts.