On the Cosmology of Qi and the New Trend Towards Historicized Thinking during the Qing Dynasty: The Thought of Wang Fuzhi, Dai Zhen, and Zhang Xuecheng
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Yuen, Wai-Kit
Abstract
This thesis discusses the intellectual changes that took place in response to the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty during the seventeenth century. More precisely, it will focus on the shift from an intellectual model based on classical studies (jingxue) to one which takes historiography as its model, before discussing the close relationship which emerged during the transition from Ming to Qing between this new trend towards historicization and a view of cosmology centered on the transformation of qi (vital breath). During the second half of the Mind dynasty, Luo Qinshun inverted Zhu Xi’s understanding of the relation between principle (li) and qi by declaring that “principle is located within qi.” At the end of the Mind dynasty, Wang Fuzhi made use of a complex mode of thinking based on the yin-yang duality in order to comprehend the myriad things between heaven and earth. Within the cultural realm, for example, his understanding of traditional dualisms such as that of “firm and soft” (gangrou), “righteousness and benefit” (yili), and “the way and tools” (daoqi) finds a common root in his mode of thinking centered on the yin-yang duality. As to Dai Zhen and Zhang Xuecheng, it appears that if viewed from the perspective of their cosmology of qi, Zhang’s claim that “the Six Classics are all history” cannot be understood without reference to his discussion of “the way and tools” – which explains his assertion that “the Six Classics are all tools” – and his view of cosmology centered on the transformation of qi, while many elements related to the late-Ming discussion of “the way and tools” and which made their way into the institutional system promoted by Dai Zhen, such as an emphasis on everyday ethics and a diachronic approach, cannot be understood outside the framework of his mode of thought centered on a cosmology of qi. Consequently, what the “new trend towards historicized thinking during the Qing dynasty” refers to is neither a modern conception of historiography nor the development of a new academic discipline entirely independent from classical studies, but rather a form of historicization of classical studies. This study will therefore highlight the fact that the cosmology of qi not only represents a deep-seated and recurrent cognitive model from the second half of the Ming dynasty onwards, but is also closely related to the new trend towards historicization. By clarifying these issues, this thesis will contribute to deepening our understanding of the nature and logic of Ming and Qing academic thought.
Subjects
Cosmology of Qi
Wang Fuzhi
Dai Zhen
Zhang Xuecheng
Historicized Thinking
Yin-yang
Type
thesis