"Neo-Confucianism", also called Tian Li or Daoism in ancient China, was founded by Zhou Dunyi, Shao Yong and Zhang Zai in the Northern Song Dynasty. Later, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi continued to develop, and finally the Southern Song Dynasty saw Zhu Ji's success. Therefore, this kind of Neo-Confucianism is usually called "Zhu Cheng Neo-Confucianism", which is the official thought of the Yuan Dynasty and subsequent dynasties. Scholars who study Neo-Confucianism are called "Neo-Confucianism".
As far as subdivision is concerned, there are differences between Lu Wang and Neo-Confucianism, which cannot be confused. Metaphysics prevailed in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Taoism and Buddhism prevailed in the Tang Dynasty, and Confucianism was no longer dominant. However, Zhu completed the transformation of Neo-Confucianism in the Southern Song Dynasty. Zhu's profundity lies in putting Confucius and Mencius in an authentic position, sorting out Dong Zhongshu's yin and yang elements, Zhang Zai's, Zhou Dunyi's and Cheng Cheng's views, as well as the Buddhist concept of extinction and the Taoist philosophical speculative spirit, and carefully constructing a profound new Confucian system. The shortcomings of Confucianism in world outlook and methodology have been overcome. This makes the teachings of Buddhism and Taoism never waver again. In the 700 years after the Song Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism has always been regarded as orthodox and very suitable for the patriarchal clan system.
Zhu pushed Confucianism to a new height, making it a milestone in the development history of Confucianism. When it comes to Neo-Confucianism, people will immediately think of the slogan of "keeping integrity and destroying human desires". Before the development of Neo-Confucianism, "benevolence" was the central idea of Confucianism. Although it is a kind of hierarchical love, benevolence is based on human nature. Although traditional Confucianism also advocates filial piety and chastity, abstinence is not strong. After the development of Confucianism to Neo-Confucianism, it has a strong color of asceticism. Cheng said: "Generally speaking, when a person has a body, he has selfishness, and it is difficult to be one with the Tao." He also said: "It is natural that no one wants it." Taking diet as an example, Zhu explained: "Dieters naturally demand delicious food, and so do people." ("Zhuzi Customs Collection", Volume XIII) After the Song Dynasty, there were few poets like Li Bai who were "I am a madman in Chu" in China.
Neo-Confucianism began in the Northern Song Dynasty, flourished in the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and gradually declined after the middle of Qing Dynasty. It is a new Confucianism developed after the Song Dynasty. In addition to the expansion of traditional Confucianism and social situation, it also incorporates some old Buddhist ideas. Since the Song and Ming Dynasties, the famous Neo-Confucianism masters are: Zhou Dunyi, Zhang Zai, Er Cheng (Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi), Luo Congyan, Zhu, Emperor Wen of Sui, Zhen, Wei Liaoweng, Xu Heng, Wu Cheng, Cao Duan, Xue Jue, Wu Yubi and Qiu Zhuohe.
Some people in later generations think that Cheng Yi is serious and upright, sacred and inviolable, and even unreasonable. In fact, it is a "Taoist face" seen by later generations. In terms of female chastity, Cheng Yi thinks: "... whoever matches it, if you match someone who has lost his virginity, he will lose his virginity." Someone asked Mr Cheng Yi, "A widow is poor and helpless. Can she remarry? " ",Cheng Yi put forward" absolutely not, some people are afraid to freeze to death and starve to death, just using hunger and cold as an excuse, you know, starvation is a trivial matter, but dishonour is a big thing. "(Volume 22 of Cheng's suicide note), later scholar Zhu (1 130- 1200) also agreed with this statement in" A Letter with Teacher Chen ":"Mr. Yichuan once tasted this matter, thinking that starvation was a minor matter and disgrace was a major one. From the secular point of view, honesty is pedantic; However, it is not easy to know a gentleman's view of self-knowledge and reason. However, in the Song Dynasty, the shame of the northern neighbors was rampant, the society was chaotic, and the values of moral chastity were abandoned and forgotten, so it was regrettable that they were often taken out of context by later generations.
Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism opposes the nihilism of Buddhism and Taoism, thinking that it ignores the ethical and moral order, but at the same time, it draws lessons from many expositions of Taoism in Taoist thought as the material of Confucian metaphysical philosophy system. In fact, this is the concrete expression of the Confucian classic "University", which says "Good knows its evil and evil knows its beauty". Zhu's ideological system is broad and profound, and his teaching methods are relatively approachable, so he can gather the achievements of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. Zhu is another Confucian master after Confucius. Many of his works have been carefully studied. Jin, co-edited with * * *, as a ladder to understand the four books (referring to Zhou, Er Cheng and Zhang), thinks that the four books are the ladder to the Five Classics, and Jin is a must-read for later Confucian scholars.
After Zhu, scholars in the Ming Dynasty pushed Confucianism to the other extreme-the study of mind.
Qing dynasty distortion
Xiong Cilv vigorously promoted Zhu Cheng's theory, stressing: "Studying Zhu Xi is studying Cheng Zi. To study Zhu Cheng is to study Confucius and Mencius. If Cheng is, then Confucius and Mencius are not. Study Zhu Cheng, study Confucius and Mencius. Zhu Chengzhi's way, Confucius and Mencius' way. Learn from Confucius and Mencius instead of living in Zhu Cheng, but still want to go out instead of from his home, and close his door if he wants to enter. " After five years of Qianlong (1740), the imperial edict said that Zhu Chengzhi's learning "won the heart of Confucius and Mencius ... and acted as a gentleman's way, but violated it as a villain's way; If you are a country, you will be ruled by it. If you lose it, it will be messy. It is really important to turn people into customs, cultivate one's morality, and rule the country. "
"Liu said," the knowledge of the Qing dynasty is different from that of the Ming dynasty. Confucianism in the Ming Dynasty was used to cope with the world, while Confucianism in the Qing Dynasty was used to preserve health. "
Zhang Taiyan also said that there were many Confucian scholars in Song and Ming Dynasties, but many Confucian scholars in Qing Dynasty.
"(Wang Mingsheng)' A book is not lost every day', dealing with sages every day, but reading and standing up are two different things, and sages can't influence him."
"Shen Yao during the reign of Jia Dao said:' After the mid-Qianlong period, the scholar's habits were verified in places where there was no need to take exams, and he was secretive from top to bottom, with academic decline and poor talent.
Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism was really castrated in the Qing Dynasty. The most telling thing is what happened in Lv Liuliang under the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
Many people know that Lv Liuliang is a figure with a strong national thought of anti-Qing and restoring the Ming Dynasty because of the literary inquisition in the Qing Dynasty. He was humiliated by the Qing court after his death, but he probably didn't know that Lv Liuliang himself was a staunch believer and propagandist of Neo-Confucianism in Zhu Cheng.
Qian Mu said: "Like Zhu's nationalism in the Qing court, which spread the meaning of the four books, he was punished by beheading his body. Yong Zhengdi awarded the book Memories of a Great Sense of Justice, indicating that everyone should read it. But soon, his book was also put in prison, and no one in the country could see it. It was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that the people began to reprint this book, and it was found again among China people together with Lv Liuliang's book. Now many people can talk about the literary inquisition in the Qing court. Yongzheng was a literary inquisitor, and Yu Yongzheng's books were imprisoned. This is a sincere anecdote.
In Lv Liuliang's view, Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism and Confucianism provided ideological weapons for criticizing absolute monarchy and alien rule. Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism criticism is selfish and utilitarian, and its target is not ordinary people, but the ruling class such as monarchs and officials.
He added, "Since the Han and Tang Dynasties, people have regarded the world as their own village and the people as tenants, Jia Ran. However, what they benefit from goes in one ear and out the other, and they dare not break the system and take it all, only worrying that there is no benefit. I never thought about it. " This statement has been similar to that in some political textbooks after liberation, that is, the emperor is the head of the landlord and so on. Even for the good of the people, it is also to safeguard their long-term interests. "So those who dare not destroy everything they take are afraid of being unprofitable."
As for "the battle from the son of heaven to life, it is called Tianlu." The wealth of heaven comes from agriculture, and wealth comes from agriculture. "That is to say, the salaries of emperors and officials are actually provided by farmers, who feed them.
Strictly speaking, Lv Liuliang's explanation and exposition of Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism is not his own invention, but the original meaning of Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism. Moreover, in the Ming Dynasty, many intellectuals also understood Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism in this way, and based on Zhu Cheng's Neo-Confucianism, they imposed various normative constraints on the emperor's behavior, and even directly accused and attacked the emperor, but Lv Liuliang's exposition was more popular.
Reality in late Qing dynasty
In the traditional academic pattern of the late Qing Dynasty, the revival of Neo-Confucianism as an official philosophy and social ideology in the late Qing Dynasty was mainly reflected in the following aspects, except that the Qing government constantly strengthened the social status of Neo-Confucianism when formulating academic policies.
First of all, there are a large number of followers of Neo-Confucianism, and some active academic groups have emerged, and the momentum of Neo-Confucianism has once grown.
After Daoguang, with the decline of Chinese studies, followers of Neo-Confucianism began to become active. Especially in Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Anhui, Fujian and other places where Neo-Confucians Zhou, Cheng, Zhang and Zhu once talked about learning, religious scholars formed a group with the same tone, and its scale and momentum were not comparable to those in Ganjia years. In the Qing Dynasty, Hunan was less influenced by Sinology, and the Neo-Confucianism camp was huge. Scholar-officials respected Neo-Confucianism, such as Tao Shu, He Changling, He Xiling, Tang Jian, Hu Dayuan, Zeng Guofan, Zuo and Hu Linyi, all of whom were good at Neo-Confucianism. Henan is famous for Neo-Confucianism, including Liu, Liu, Liu, Liu and Liu. Guanzhong area has a tradition of attaching importance to Neo-Confucianism since the Song Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, the righteous, Zhou Zhi's Luther and Sanyuan's He praised Neo-Confucianism, and they also trained a large number of backward Neo-Confucianism students through lectures. Anhui takes Tongcheng as the backbone, and there are a number of scholars who stick to the road, such as Fang Zongcheng and Fang Zongcheng. Wu Tingdong of Huoshan, Tu Zongying of Lu 'an, Xia Kui and Xia Jiong of Dangtu are also famous for Neo-Confucianism.