宋人授官，主要有官、職、差遣；除此之外，還有功臣、檢校官、散官、勲級、爵邑等。而勳官、爵邑的功用，除可馭崇貴而甄功勞，且可和職事官互相搭配，作為國家管理官員遷轉之用，此即陸贄所謂的「虛實相參」。以勳官而言，宋廷在皇帝郊祀、發布赦書、皇帝登極、立皇太子、獎勵軍功時，皆會賞賜官員勳級。勳級之運用，除了詔勞舊、稽秩序、行慶賞、示恩信諸功能外，也作為流外、伎術官員遷轉之用。官員若得勳官三品已上，則可在家前立戟，增加其社會地位。不過，政和三年廢罷勳官後，宋廷就未恢復勳級。
The major methods of ordaining officials in Song dynasty were
officer, position and job. Besides, achievement officer, jian jiao
officer, san officer, merit level, peerage county etc. The functions of
merit and peerage county were to rearrange nobility and
achievement. Besides, they could match with general office system
and functioned as upgrade. There were so called “matched real with
honor” by Lu Zi. In times of emperor’s sacrifices, announce
amnesty, emperor’s death, chose successor and reward military
merit, government would ordain merit level. The functions of merit
level were to rearrange social order and indicate honor and trust.
Besides, they were used to change status of technical bureaucracy.
If an officer were rewarded merit over the third level, he could erect
halberd in front of his house and promote social status.
