Zhang Zai Collection

Author: Zhang Zai
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-12-01
Features: This book is based on the Qing Dynasty re-engraving of Shen Zichang's edition of "The Complete Works of Master Zhang" published in the 48th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty. The volume order and catalog have been adjusted, and additional materials have been supplemented.
Neo-Confucianism, also known as Daoxue (the Way of Learning), Xingli (the Study of Human Nature), or Yili (the Study of Principles), emerged in the Northern Song Dynasty. Its main representatives include Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Zhang Zai, Shao Yong, and Zhou Dunyi (collectively known as the "Five Northern Song Scholars"). Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty was the synthesizer, establishing the dominant school of thought in Neo-Confucianism. The school opposing Zhu Xi was represented by Lu Jiuyuan.
Fields of Study: Inheriting Confucianism while integrating Buddhist and Taoist thought, it explored philosophical questions such as the origin of the universe, the methods of acquiring truth, the of the world, and the nature of humanity. It proposed a complete philosophical system and touched upon various fields including morality, education, religion, and politics.
Spread: In the late Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi's school established dominance. Neo-Confucianism spread northward during the Yuan Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, the school remained the orthodox official ideology. However, Chen Xianzhang shifted from Zhu Xi to Lu Jiuyuan, while Wang Yangming promoted the Xinxue (Heart-Mind Learning), forming another dominant school within Neo-Confucianism. In the early Qing Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism reached its peak and then declined. The Qianlong-Jiaqing school of pragmatic study emerged.
Neo-Confucianism, also known as Daoxue, Xingli, or Yili, emerged in the Northern Song Dynasty. Its main representatives include Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, with Zhang Zai, Shao Yong, and Zhou Dunyi as key figures discussed in their studies. Later scholars traced back to Zhou Dunyi, the master teacher of the Two Chengs, forming the "Five Northern Song Scholars." Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty inherited and developed the teachings of the Two Chengs, incorporating elements of Zhou, Zhang, and Shao's thought, synthesizing them into a vast system and establishing the dominant school of Neo-Confucianism. Simultaneously, there was a rival school represented by Lu Jiuyuan. By the late Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi's school had established dominance. During the Yuan Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism spread northward, reaching a wider area. In the Ming Dynasty, the Cheng-Zhu school remained the orthodox official ideology, but Chen Xianzhang shifted from Zhu Xi to Lu Jiuyuan, and Wang Yangming further promoted Xinxue, forming another dominant school within Neo-Confucianism. In the early Qing Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism reached its peak and then declined. Although it still retained influence, its decline was irreversible, and the academic trend of the era gradually shifted to the Qianlong-Jiaqing school of pragmatic study as the mainstream.
From its emergence to its decline, Neo-Confucianism spanned approximately seven centuries. Throughout its history, its influence in the intellectual world was more profound and far-reaching than that of the Confucian classics of the Han and Tang dynasties, the metaphysics of the Wei-Jin period, or the Buddhism of the Southern and Northern dynasties and the Sui-Tang period.