On the Historical Background and Ideas of the Classical Interpretation of the Qing Scholars
Resource
臺大中文學報, 15, 241-281
Journal
臺大中文學報
Journal Issue
15
Pages
241-281
Date Issued
2001-12
Date
2001-12
Author(s)
Cheng, C.H.
Abstract
The paper addresses a new viewpoint of the ‘purification’ movement of Confucianism', summing up the rise of Confucianism movement in early Qing, and its relationship with Qian-Jia scholars' interpretations of the Classics, discussing in detail two important concepts. There are many debates in the historical development of Confucianism, in which scholars hoped to sift out heretical doctrines. This is what I called ‘purification movement of Confucianism’. After experiencing the fall of their nation, the Confucianists of the early Qing realized the reason for China being conquered by foreign clans, was due to the invasion of their ideology - Buddhism. Their critique on Neo-Confucianism was in fact a movement against Buddhism, and also a symbol of fighting against Manchurian authority. Since the “Five Classics” are the base of Confucianism, the scholars from the early to the middle Qing period tried hard to trace back the moral values within the Classics, so that the purity of Confucianism could be proved. ‘Use’ 用 and ‘matter’ 器 are two important concepts of Qing Confucianism. While scholars of the Sung and Ming period paid much attention on the ‘tie’ 體 - the moral and metaphysical origin of life, Qing scholars put much effort on its ‘use’ 用. Early Qing scholars emphasized on the art of using the Classics to achieve social and political evolution, whihle Qian-Jia scholars studied intensively on the ‘use’ of the Classics. Qing scholars' discourses of ‘matter’ mostly refer to their emphasized on the individuality of ‘things’ in the real world. They argued that only when we understood the principle of ‘individuality’, could we understand the real meaning of ‘unity’. This paper also discusses the philosophical relationship between Zhang Xuechng and Dai Zhen, especially their opinion on ‘matter’.
Subjects
乾嘉
儒學
經典詮釋
儒釋之辨
儒道之辨
清代
經學
戴震
章學誠
Qian-jia
Confucianism
Classical interpretation
Qing dynasty
Dai Zhen
Zhang Xue-cheng
Type
journal article