Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi (11301200) was the preeminent Confucian thinker of the Song dynasty (9601279). His teachings profoundly influenced China, where for centuries after his death they formed the basis of the countrys educational system. In Korea, Japan, and Vietnam as well, elites embraced his inspired and authoritative synthesis of Confucian thought. In Zhus eyes, the great Way of China was in decline, with its very survival threatened by external enemies and internal moral weakness. In his writings and teaching, Zhu took as his mission the revival of the Confucian tradition, the source of Chinas greatness, and its transmission to future generations. For him, restoring Confucianism to its rightful place required drawing on the traditions whole sweep, from the sacred texts of the sages and worthies of antiquity to the more recent writings of the great thinkers of the tenth and eleventh centuries. This book presents the essential teachings of the new Confucian (Neo-Confucian) philosophical system that Zhu Xi forged, providing a concise introduction to one of the most important figures in the history of Chinese thought. It offers selections from the Classified Conversations of Master Zhu (Zhuzi yulei), a lengthy collection of Zhus conversations with disciples. In these texts, Zhu Xi reflects on the Confucian teachings of the past, revising and refining his understanding of them and shaping that understanding into a cohesive system of thought. Daniel K. Gardners translation renders these discussions and sayings in a conversational style that is accessible to new and more advanced readers alike.