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Introduction to Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi is also known as: Zhu Zi, Wen Gong, Mr. Ziyang, Mr. Kaoting, Cangzhou Sick Old Man, and Yungu Old Man. Font size: The character is Hui, the character is Zhonghui, and the name is Hui'an. Era: Song Dynasty. Ethnic group: Han. Birthplace: Youxi, Nanjian Prefecture (now part of Sanming City, Fujian Province). Date of birth: October 18, 1130. Time of death: April 23, 1200. Main works: "Nine Songs of Songs", "Spring Day", "Inscription on Pomegranate Flowers", "Impressions from Reading Books", "Riding", etc. Main achievements: The master of Confucianism and the acting scholar of Song Dynasty.

We will introduce you to the detailed content of Zhu Xi from the following aspects:

1. Zhu Xi’s poems

"Riding", "Encouraging Learning" "Poetry", "Spring Day", "Feelings from Reading Books", "Lan Jian", "Reading Three Times", "Nine Songs of Songs", "Occasionally", "Inscribed on the Pomegranate Flower", "Bodhisattva Man", "Sima "Guang Xiangxue", "Shui Diao Ge Tou·Yin Guo Du Mu's Qishan Poems", "Twenty Ode to the South of the City of Zhang Jingfu", "Huanxi Sand", "Shui Diao Ge Tou", "Partridge Sky", "Bodhisattva Man" ", "Xijiang Moon", "Nian Nujiao", "Man Jiang Hong".

2. Influence

Zhu Xi entered Buddhism and Taoism in his early years. At the age of 31, he officially became a disciple of Cheng Yi's third disciple Li Tong. He concentrated on Confucianism and became an important figure in Confucianism after Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. In the second year of Chunxi (1175), Zhu Xi, Lu Zuqian, Lu Jiuyuan and others met at Ehu Temple in Qianshan, Shangrao, Jiangxi Province. This was the famous Ehu meeting, and the differences between Zhu Xi and Lu became clearer. On the basis of "Bailu Chinese Studies", Zhu Xi established Bailudong Academy, formulated the "Academic Rules", lectured and taught apprentices, and promoted Taoism. Yuelu Academy was restored in Tanzhou (today's Changsha, Hunan), and the lectures were based on the principles of learning through theory, practicing against practice, and respect. He inherited the second Cheng and developed it independently to form his own system, which was later known as Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. During his tenure as a local official, Zhu Xi advocated fighting against gold, subsidizing the people and saving taxes, saving money on light labor, restricting land annexation and usury exploitation, and implemented certain reform measures. He also participated in the suppression of peasant uprisings. During his education, Zhu Xi dabbled in or wrote about Confucian classics, history, literature, Buddhism, Taoism, and natural sciences, and his writings were extensive.

In his later years, Zhu Xi settled in Kaoting, Jianyang to give lectures. Students from all over the world came from far and wide to study, study Neo-Confucianism, and write books. Together with Cai Yuanding and others, he founded the eye-catching "Kaoting School" in academic history. Therefore, the pavilion is known as the "Southern Fujian Palace", Jianyang is called the "Hometown of Neo-Confucianism", and it is also known as the "Seven Sages of Confucianism" in history because of Zhu Xi, Cai Yuanding, Liu_, Huang Qian, Xiong He, You Jiuyan and Ye Weiwei. "Hometown." Nowadays, around the Qingming Festival every year, descendants of Zhu Xi from as far away as the United States, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan come to pay homage to him. The Neo-Confucianism of the Southern Song Dynasty he founded is still respected by the United States, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and other countries.

3. Life of the Character

Zhu Xi was born on the 15th day of the ninth lunar month in the fourth year of Jianyan of the Song Dynasty (1130) in the Zheng Yizhai Hall in Shuinan, Youxi County (now Nanjing), where he studied at a young age. Xi Academy), nicknamed Shen_. When Zhu Xi was born, he had seven black moles on the corner of his right eye, arranged like a Big Dipper.

In the fifth year of Shaoxing in the Song Dynasty (1135), when he was five years old, Zhu Xi entered primary school and could read the "Book of Filial Piety". He wrote on the forehead of the book to encourage himself: "If you don't do this, you won't be a man." When he was six years old, Zhu Xi was playing with a group of children and drew Bagua on the sandbank in front of Zheng's residence. Ask your father about the sun and heaven.

In the seventh year of Shaoxing (1137), Zhu Song was called to the capital. Before going to the capital, he sent his wife Zhu and Zhu Xi to live in Pucheng, Jianzhou.

In the thirteenth year of Shaoxing (1143), Zhu Song died of illness in Jianou. Before his death, he entrusted Zhu Xi to Liu Ziyu (Zhu Xi's adoptive father), his fifth husband and friend, in Chongan (today's Wuyishan City), and wrote a letter asking him to Three well-educated friends including his husband Liu Zi_ (Pingshan), Liu Mianzhi (Baishui), and Hu Xian (Jixi) educated Zhu Xi on his behalf. Liu Ziyu regarded Zhu Xi as his own son and built a room next to his house to house Zhu Xi and his family, which was called Ziyang Tower.

In the 17th year of Shaoxing (1147), Zhu Xi was 18 years old and passed the Gongsheng examination in Jianzhou Township Examination.

In the spring of the eighteenth year of Shaoxing (1148), Liu Mianzhi betrothed his daughter Liu Qingsi to Zhu Xi. In March of the same year, Zhu Xi entered the imperial examination in the capital and ranked fifth and 90th on the imperial examination list. He was granted the same background as a Jinshi.

In the 21st year of his official career in Shaoxing (1151), Zhu Xi entered the capital Quan examination again and passed the secondary examination. He was awarded the title of Zuo Di Gonglang and the chief registrar of Tong'an County in Quanzhou.

In the summer of the 23rd year of Shaoxing (1153), Zhu Xi studied under Li Dong in Yanping on his way to Tong'an. In the seventh month of autumn, Zhu Xi arrived in Tong'an.

He managed the county affairs with the county governance method of "upholding etiquette and righteousness, respecting customs, impeaching traitors, and caring for the people", resolved the conflicts between Tong'an and Jinjiang counties, rectified the county schools, advocated the construction of "Jiaosi Hall", and achieved success in the Confucian Temple The palace advocated the construction of the "Jingshi Pavilion" and advocated the reduction of money made by the General Economic Council.

In the twenty-seventh year of Shaoxing (1157), Zhu Xi returned after completing his term.

In the twenty-eighth year of Shaoxing (1158), Zhu Xi had realized that "the world's trend of seeking immortality in vain was demoralizing the people, dissipating national power, and hindering the rejuvenation of the country", and planned to embark on the road of seeking teachers again. , determined to worship Li Tong as his teacher, so he could inherit the orthodoxy of Ercheng's "Luo School", which laid the foundation for Zhu Xi's later theories. The four-character plaque inscribed "Kite flies and fish leaps". Zhu Xi returned from Tong'an and did not seek official career. He mainly engaged in education and writing activities. In the thirty-second year of Shaoxing (1162), Song Xiaozong ascended the throne and issued an imperial edict to seek the opinions of his subjects. In response to the imperial edict, Zhu Xi presented his views on promoting peace and war, opposing Buddhism and advocating Confucianism, and elaborated on his views on teaching principles, establishing plans for restoration, and appointing virtuous people to cultivate politics. In October of the first year of Longxing (1163), Zhu Xi responded to the imperial edict and entered the opposite Chui Gong Hall and presented three letters to Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty: the first letter discussed the study of sincerity and sincerity, the study of things to gain knowledge, and the opposition to the heretical learning of Lao and Buddha, and the second letter discussed He expressed his righteousness of revenge against the foreign barbarians and opposed the peace talks. The three letters discussed the way of cultivating political affairs internally and opposed favoring and trusting sycophants. But at that time Tang Si retired as prime minister and advocated peace talks. Zhu Xi's anti-gold proposition was not adopted. In November, the imperial court appointed Zhu Xi as the Doctor of Martial Arts of the Imperial Academy. Zhu Xi refused to resign and asked the temple to be returned to Chong'an.

In August of the third year of Qiandao in the Southern Song Dynasty (1167), Zhu Xi, accompanied by Lin Zezhi and Fan Niande, went to Tanzhou (today's Changsha) to visit Zhang_, a representative of the Hunan School. "Return to the East Chaos Manuscript" was completed.

In the fourth year of Qiandao (1168), a flood occurred in Chong'an. Zhu Xi urged the wealthy people to collect millet to relieve the famine, and also asked the government for a loan of 600 dendrobium grains to distribute to the people so that the people would not starve.

In the fifth year of Qiandao's reign (1169), Zhu Xi realized the error of the "old theory of neutralization" and reread the works of Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi with the ideas of "respect" and "double cultivation", and created an original "Zhonghe" theory from a new perspective. He Xin said". This is a major event with epoch-making significance and far-reaching influence in academic history, marking the maturity of Zhu Xi's philosophical thought.

In September of the fifth year of Hanquan's writings (1169), Zhu Xi's mother passed away. Zhu Xi built Hanquan Jingshe to guard his mother's tomb, which began the six-year period of Hanquan's writings.

In May of the seventh year of Qiandao (1171), in order to fundamentally solve the livelihood problems of the people in the disaster year, the "Shecang" was built in Wufu. This approach can alleviate the difficulties of the poor, ease social conflicts, and reduce the administrative pressure on the court. It was later imitated by many places. In November, Zhu Xi returned to Youxi and discussed county studies with Shi Zi, the county magistrate and his friend. Accompanied by Shi Zizhong, he visited the former site of "Weizhai" where his father, Zhu Song, Yan lived when he was the captain of Youxi County. The four-character "Weizhai Jiuzhi" handwritten on the stone was unveiled.

In the ninth year of Qiandao's reign (1173), he wrote the "Book of Reconstruction of Youxi Temple" and wrote a plaque with the name "Minglun Hall" written by himself and hung it in the main hall of Youxi County School. From then on, the plaques of academic palaces all over the world were hung in imitation of this.

In the first month of the second year of Chunxi in the Song Dynasty (1175), Lu Zuqian came to visit Zhu Xi from Dongyang, Zhejiang. They spent one and a half months together at Hanquan Jingshe and compiled the "Records of Recent Thoughts", which is known in history as the "Hanquan Meeting". In May, Lu Zuqian was sent to Xinzhou Ehu Temple (today's Ehu Academy). Lu Jiuling, Lu Jiuyuan and Liu Qingzhi all came to have a meeting, which was known as the "Ehu Meeting" in history. The direct reason for the Ehu meeting was that Lu Zuqian wanted to use this opportunity to reconcile the contradictions between Zhu and Lu's theories. Academically, Zhu Xi believes that heart and reason are two different concepts, reason is the ontology, and heart is the subject of cognition. Erlu advocated that mind and reason are one and the same, insisting on using mind to unify subject and object. Zhu Xi debated and lectured with the Lu brothers for ten days. The Ehu meeting did not achieve the goal of unifying the thoughts of both parties, but it enabled them to further understand each other's thoughts and their differences, and also prompted them to reflect on their own thoughts consciously or unconsciously.

In the fifth year of Chunxi's reign (1178), when the academy was rebuilt, Emperor Xiaozong of the Song Dynasty appointed Zhu Xi to be the commander of the Nankang Army and in charge of internal affairs. In March of the sixth year of Chunxi, Zhu Xi took office. There was a severe drought that year and the disaster was serious. After Zhu Xi took office, he immediately started building water conservancy projects to fight disasters and relieve famines. He petitioned to exempt Xingzi County from taxes so that the victims could live. In October, when Zhu Xi visited Pitang, he found the abandoned site of Bailudong Academy under the guidance of a woodcutter. After Zhu Xi's vigorous advocacy, Bailudong Academy was quickly restored by March of the seventh year of Chunxi. During his tenure in the Nankang Army, Zhu Xi devoted himself to Bailudong Academy and spared no effort. He once served as the master of the cave, hired famous teachers, enriched the library, and asked the emperor to give him royal books.

He also set up a school land to support poor students, and personally established academic rules, which are the famous "White Deer Cave Academy Rules". "The Canons of Bailudong Academy" is one of the earliest educational regulations and systems in the history of world education. It clearly explains and stipulates in detail the educational purposes, training programs, learning procedures and principles of self-cultivation and governance. It not only It became the model for running academies in the 700-year history of Chinese feudal society, and attracted the attention of the world’s education circles. It became an important topic for domestic and foreign educators to study the education system.

In February of the eighth year of Chunxi (1181), Lu Jiuyuan came to Nankang to visit Zhu Xi and give lectures at Bailudong Academy. In August, there was a severe famine in eastern Zhejiang. Because Zhu Xi was effective in famine relief in Nankang, Prime Minister Wang Huai recommended Zhu Xi to provide disaster relief and promote tea and salt affairs in Changping, eastern Zhejiang. In order to rescue the victims, Zhu Xi quickly took several effective measures. Because Zhu Xi knew about Tang Zhongyou's lawlessness in Taizhou before impeaching him in eastern Zhejiang, he was jealous of Tang's in-law Wang Huai. He left his post in eastern Zhejiang after only nine months and returned home. Zhu Xi petitioned Tang Zhongyou six times to accuse him of wrongdoing, pointing out the fact that Wang Huai and Tang Zhongyou colluded. Under pressure, Wang Huai removed Tang Zhongyou from Jiangxi and was appointed to a new post. In the process of impeaching Tang Zhongyou, Zhu Xi showed high integrity and integrity.

In the ninth year of Chunxi's reign (1182), when Zhu Xi was 52 years old, he published four books together: "Greater Chapters", "Zhongyong Chapters", "Analects of Confucius" and "Mencius' Annotations", which was "the greatest achievement in the history of Confucian classics". The name "Four Books" appeared for the first time. After that, Zhu Xi still worked hard to revise the "Collected Commentary on the Four Books", and the day before his death, Zhu Xi was still revising the "Great Learning Chapters". Zhu Xi set the "Four Books" as the criterion for self-cultivation for feudal scholars. The "Four Books" constituted Zhu Xi's complete Neo-Confucian ideological system. From the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the "Collected Commentary on the Four Books" was favored by feudal dynasties for a long time. It served as the basis for governing the country and the norms for people's thoughts and behaviors. It became the standard textbook for feudal imperial examinations. In the tenth year of Chunxi (1183), Zhu Xi founded Wuyi Jingshe at the foot of Dayinping Peak on the bank of Jiuqu River in Wuyi Mountain. He devoted himself to writing books and preaching, recruiting disciples and gathering people to give lectures. In the twelfth year of Chunxi's reign, Zhu Xi went to Zhejiang and started a debate with Chen Liang about justice, profit and kingship, and tried to explain the faults of Zhejiang learning.

In November of the fifteenth year of Chunxi (1188), he published "Wushen Fengshi". He advocated things such as "righteousness of mind", "electing ministers", and "raising the political agenda". In the 16th year of Chunxi's reign (1189), Zhu Xi was ordered to know Zhangzhou. In the first year of Shaoxi (1190), 61-year-old Zhu Xi went to Zhangzhou to take up his post. All Zhu Xi's administrative reforms in Zhangzhou were mainly reflected in the Zhengjingjie, eliminating Hengfu, regulating customs, spreading Confucianism, and impeaching traitors, and the Zhengjingjie was the soul of all his reforms. At that time, the trend of land annexation was prevalent in the local area. Bureaucratic landlords took advantage of the situation to annex farmers' cultivated land. However, the tax amount was not allocated to the landlords everywhere, resulting in "uneven land tax" and landless farmers were more heavily exploited, leading to intensification of class conflicts. To this end, Zhu Xi proposed the practice of "jingjie", that is, verifying the acres of land and paying taxes according to the land acres. This suggestion was bound to reduce the burden on farmers, but it would harm the interests of large landowners. Therefore, it was strongly opposed by the latter, and the "Jingjie" was ultimately unable to be implemented. In the first month of the second year of Shaoxi (1191), Zhu Xi's eldest son Zhu Shu died. After hearing the bad news, Zhu Xi had no choice but to mourn his son and visit the temple. In May, Zhu Xi moved to Jianyang. The following year, he inherited his father's ambition to build the "Bamboo Forest Jingshe", which was later renamed "Cangzhou Jingshe", which is the "Kaoting Academy" conferred by the imperial edict in the fourth year of Chun Dynasty (1244).

In the fifth year of Shaoxi (1194), the Pulaiya uprising of Hunan Yao people shocked the government and the public, and the local situation in Hunan suddenly became tense. When Zhu Xi was in danger, he was ordered to appease Zhitanzhou and Jinghu South Road and was given purple seal uniforms. Zhu Xi, who had the arrogance of a Taoist and a strong concern for the country and the people, did not dare to refuse the imperial order, but happily accepted the order and went to take office. In May, Zhu Xi arrived in Tanzhou. At this time, the Yao people had retreated deep into the mountains and were trapped in a creek cave. Zhu Xi adopted a gentle policy of dealing with the aftermath and sent envoys to recruit Pu Laiya, the leader of the Yao people's uprising army. Since the suppression of the Yao people's uprising was a joint operation in Hubei and Hunan, Zhu Xi's recruitment was opposed by Hubei commander Wang Lin. After Pulaiya was escorted, Wang Lin advocated killing the police. Zhu Xi had no choice but to plead directly with Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty during his visit to the capital, asking him to "not lose great faith" in the Yao people. After Zhu Xi took office, he built schools, promoted education, supervised officials, and improved folk customs. Zhu Xi rebuilt and expanded Yuelu Academy, located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain in Changsha, Hunan. He gave lectures here in his spare time, making Yuelu Academy one of the four major academies in the Southern Song Dynasty.

In August of the fifth year of Shaoxi (1194), Zhu Xi removed Huanzhang Pavilion and served as a lecturer. In September, Zhu Xi made an announcement in the palace. The first letter asked Song Ningzong to be sincere, the second letter asked Song Ningzong to read the classics and learn theory, and the third, fourth and fifth letters discussed the aftermath of Tanzhou.

On October 14, Zhu Xi was ordered to give a lecture on "The Great Learning", repeatedly emphasizing the eight principles of "studying things, seeking knowledge, sincerity, righteousness, self-cultivation, regulating the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world", hoping to limit the abuse of monarchical power by correcting the monarch's morality. , causing dissatisfaction with Song Ningzong and the ruling Han Zhouzhou. Therefore, Zhu Xi only reigned for 46 days, and was dismissed from the position of waiter and lecturer by Song Ningzong.

In November of the fifth year of Shaoxi's reign in Jianyang (1194), Zhu Xi also lived in Kaoting, Jianyang.

In December of the second year of Qingyuan in the Song Dynasty (1196), the "party ban" officially took place. The supervisory censor Shen Jizu used the techniques of catching wind, grafting on facts, and fabricating to impeach Zhu Xi's "ten crimes." The imperial dignitaries launched a cruel liquidation of Neo-Confucianism that was rarely seen in history. Following the old tricks of the Northern Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, they compiled a list of five crimes. Nineteen people were punished to varying degrees for pretending to be members of the Party and those who were members of the Party. Zhu Xi was denounced as the "leader of pseudo-study" and ranked fifth on the blacklist. Some people even proposed to "kill Zhu Xi to eliminate pseudo-study". Zhu Xi was dismissed from office for the crime of pseudo-learning. Zhu Xi's disciples were exiled and imprisoned, and suffered severe blows.

In the fifth year of Qingyuan (1199), Zhu Xi was already troubled by various diseases. Zhu Xi, who was banned from the party, finally had a premonition that death was approaching, which gave him an ominous premonition that his end was approaching, and he worked harder to write.

After spring in the sixth year of Qingyuan (1200), Zhu Xi suffered from severe foot disease and his condition worsened. Zhu Xi was dying. He was blind in his left eye and almost completely blind in his right eye. Zhu Xi, however, worked harder to sort out the remaining pieces with more energy. His only wish was to complete all the works in his life so that there would be successors to the Taoist tradition. On March 9th, 71-year-old Zhu Xi died during the bloody "Qingyuan Party Ban" movement. Taoism believers from all over the world decided to gather in Shinshu for a large-scale funeral in November, which frightened the anti-Taoism authorities and ordered the ministers to restrain them. In November, Zhu Xi was buried in Dalin Valley, Huangkeng, Jianyang County. There were still nearly a thousand people attending the funeral.

After Zhu Xi's death, he was given the posthumous title of "Wen Gong", and was awarded the title of "Director of Baomo Pavilion". He was also granted the title of Duke of Hui State.

IV. Memorial Hall

The Zhu Xi Memorial Hall is located in the Wengong Mountain Zhuzi Cultural Park in the Wengong Mountain Scenic Area, Wuyuan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, covering an area of ??300 square meters.

The Zhu Xi Memorial Hall in Wuyishan, with its solemn and rigorous shape, is a verandah-style courtyard completed in 1990. There are newly written plaques and couplets hung in the museum, many of which have concise language, profound meaning and brilliant literary brilliance.

A large plaque hangs high on the ancient gate, with the title "Zhu Xi Memorial Hall" in five eye-catching characters. It is a calligraphy treasure left by Comrade Fang Yi during his inspection in Wuyi Mountain. It is solemn, vigorous and has the style of a great calligrapher.

The cursive couplets on both sides of the front gate express the profound significance of Zhu Xi’s inheritance and development. The couplet says: "Connecting the origins of Yiluo and opening the door to Zou Lu in the Fujian Sea." The couplet shows that Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism has become an important stage in the history of the development of Chinese philosophy. This couplet hanging on the door looks dignified and elegant, and it is eye-catching.

In front of the main hall, there is a couplet that reads "To reach the broad yet to be subtle, to be extremely wise but to be of the mean", which expresses the breadth and depth of Zhu Xi's philosophical system and the Confucian norms of life and conduct.

The four characters "Xue Da Xing Tian" written on the horizontal plaque in front of the main hall are bold and strong. This plaque was originally inscribed by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty for "Ziyang Academy" in 1787 AD. Its general meaning is: "Xue" is the study of things, "Da" is the knowledge, "Xing" is the Tao, and "Heaven" is the virtue. "Studying things to achieve knowledge" is the core of Zhu Xi's epistemology, which regards morality as the embodiment of the way of heaven. That is, through moral cultivation, we pursue the state of "utter sincerity", so as to sense the heaven and earth and achieve "the unity of nature and man".