Qing Dynasty Studies on the School of Names

Author: Liu Zhonghua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, various schools of thought emerged. After Confucianism became dominant, other schools gradually declined. By the late Ming Dynasty, with the loosening of Confucian dominance, pre-Qin schools of thought began to attract interest. Thinkers like Li Zhi and others from Boshan started studying the classics of the schools and re-emphasized these philosophies. In the Qing Dynasty, textual research flourished. Due to the need to examine the Six Classics and the histories of the Three Dynasties, pre-Qin schools of thought gained prominence as important supplementary evidence for verifying the Classics and historical records. The Qianlong and Jiaqing scholars, while using the works of these schools, extensively organized and collated them,. In the late Qing Dynasty, with the introduction of Western learning and the rise of new studies, the classics of the schools began to highlight their diverse values under the influence of Western learning. Under the concept of "Western learning originating in China," many scholars vigorously promoted pre-Qin schools of thought. Pre-Qin schools of thought not only escaped the label of "heresy" but also became a powerful weapon against the exclusive dominance of Confucianism, becoming an important part of the rise of new studies in modern times.