University Zhongyong: Chinese Classic Collection

Author: Wang Guoxuan
Translation Note:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: The Great Learning and Doctrine of the Mean were originally two chapters of the Book of Rites. The Great Learning focuses on self-cultivation and proposes: "From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all must regard self-cultivation as the foundation." It presents the methods of investigating things, achieving harmony, sincerity, and rectifying the mind as ways of self-cultivation. It emphasizes that self-cultivation and self-improvement are not merely introspective processes but also involve engaging with external things, exploring the principles of nature to gain knowledge, and cultivating moral character and perfecting one's personality. The purpose of self-cultivation is to regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. The Great Learning holds that governing the state and bringing peace to the world should be based on virtue.
The Doctrine of the Mean emphasizes "sincerity," considering it the key to achieving the "Way of the Mean." The Doctrine of the Mean is an important Confucian classic, like the Book of Changes, both serving as theoretical sources for Confucianism. However, the Book of Changes has a greater influence and broader scope than the Doctrine of the Mean. The Doctrine of the Mean became the focus of study for Confucian scholars after the Song Dynasty. Many concepts and propositions in Neo-Confucianism originate from the Doctrine of the Mean, and many leading Neo-Confucian scholars adhered to its principles. Many Confucian scholars used its methodology for thinking, demonstrating that the Doctrine of the Mean has had a profound influence on the formation of Chinese civilization.