Biography of Wu Cheng

Author: Fang Xiaodong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-11
Features: Wu Cheng (1249-1333) was one of the few great scholars of the Yuan Dynasty. This book focuses on evaluating him from the perspective of philosophical thought, and in the appendix, it provides a detailed examination of his chronology and the editions of his collected works. The book argues that Wu Cheng's academic foundation came from Zhu Xue (Neo-Confucianism), and he was diligent in writing throughout his life, particularly in the field of classical studies. His character fully embodies the characteristic of the Zhu Xi lineage that emphasizes "seeking knowledge through inquiry." Theoretically, Wu Cheng primarily inherited many ideas from the Song Dynasty Confucian scholars, especially Zhu Xi, but in some aspects, he also made advancements. For example, he proposed the view that "principle (li) exists within qi (material force)," which became a precursor to the Li-Qi monism of the Ming Dynasty. In terms of teaching methods, Wu Cheng advocated for "" (revere moral nature while seeking knowledge through inquiry), which is often misunderstood as leaning towards Lu Xue (Lu Jiuyuan's thought) or reconciling Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan. In reality, Wu Cheng's "revere moral nature" referred to "maintaining unity and vigilance" (), a typical practice of the Cheng-Zhu school. Overall, Wu Cheng upheld the stance of Zhu Xue while having few sectarian biases, standing out as a great scholar of his generation.