The four great masters of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty include Zhou Dunyi, Zhang Zai, Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao.

1. Zhou Dunyi

Zhou Dunyi (June 1, 1017 - July 14, 1073), also known as Zhou Yuanhao, was originally named Zhou Dunshi, with the courtesy name Maoshu and the posthumous title Yuan Gong. , a native of Tianbao, Yingdaolou, Daozhou (now Daoxian County, Hunan Province), known as Mr. Lianxi in the world. He was one of the five sons of the Northern Song Dynasty, the founder of Confucian Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, a writer and a philosopher.

He is the author of "Collection of Zhou Yuan Gong", "Shuo on Ai Lian", "Shuo on Tai Chi Pictures" and "Tong Shu" (reorganized into "Collection of Zhou Yuan Gong" by later generations). The basic concepts of Neo-Confucianism proposed by Zhou Dunyi, such as Wuji, Tai Chi, Yin and Yang, Five Elements, Movement and Stillness, Main Stillness, Sincerity, No Desire, and Hui Hua, were repeatedly discussed and developed by later Neo-Confucianists and constituted an important part of the Neo-Confucian category system.

2. Zhang Zai

Zhang Zai (1020-December 6, 1077), courtesy name Zihou, was a native of Fengxiang County (now Hengqu Town, Mei County, Shaanxi Province). Thinker, educator and one of the founders of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty.

In the tenth year of Xining (1077), Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, he died of illness in Lintong at the age of fifty-eight. He was known as Mr. Hengqu in the world, respectfully named Zhang Zi, granted the title of sage, and was enshrined in the 38th place in the west veranda of the Confucius Temple. , together with Zhou Dunyi, Shao Yong, Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao, are collectively known as the "Five Sons of the Northern Song Dynasty".

His famous sayings of "establishing a mind for heaven and earth, establishing a destiny for the people, carrying on the unique knowledge for the past saints, and creating peace for all generations" were called "Four Hengqu Sentences" by contemporary philosopher Feng Youlan because they are concise and concise. , which has been praised throughout the ages. He is the author of "Zhengmeng", "Hengqu Yishuo" and other works left in the world.

3. Ercheng

Ercheng, namely Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, were from Henan (now Luoyang, Henan). Their theory is also called "Luoxue", which is similar to that of their contemporaries. The "Guan Xue" created by Zhang Zai is closely related. The two Neo-Confucian thoughts had a great influence on later generations. Zhu Xi of the Southern Song Dynasty inherited and developed their theories. Their Neo-Confucian thoughts are mainly found in "Suicide Notes", "Collected Works" and "Jingshuo".

Both Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao studied under Zhou Dunyi, and they were both the founders of Neo-Confucianism in the Song and Ming Dynasties. They were called "Er Cheng" by the world and were famous Neo-Confucianists and educators in the Northern Song Dynasty.

Er Cheng's psychological thoughts were relatively rich, and his position in their ideological system was also crucial. Therefore, later generations were called "the study of mind and body" or "the study of mind and nature". Their highest philosophical category is "reason", which as the absolute ontology derives from all things in the universe; their highest psychological category is "heart".

Extended information:

Zhou Dunyi has been smart, studious and diligent in thinking since he was a child. When encountering any problem, I like to get to the bottom of it and will never give up until I understand it.

He would often ask his uncle in Hengzhou (now Hengyang) some seemingly bizarre questions, such as where did the stars in the sky come from, why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west, and why does the moon wax and wane? , why it winds and rains, how everything on the earth is formed, etc.

For these questions raised by Zhou Dunyi, Zhou Fucheng always took the trouble to answer them to the best of his knowledge. Of course, Zhou Fucheng was unable to answer clearly many of these questions. On the one hand, it was limited by Zhou Fucheng's knowledge, and on the other hand, it was also limited by the technological level at that time. And Zhou Fucheng also liked Zhou Dunyi's character very much.

As he grows older, Zhou Dunyi’s knowledge continues to grow, and his studies have made great progress. By the time he was twelve or thirteen years old, Zhou Dunyi had already read the "Four Books" (the "Four Books"), the Book of Books, the Book of Songs, the Book of Rites, the Spring and Autumn Annals and other Confucian classics, and he could even recite some of them by heart. At the same time, Zhou Dunyi can also write good articles, which are not only novel in ideas, but also have his own unique insights.

Baidu Encyclopedia—Zhou Dunyi

Baidu Encyclopedia—Zhang Zai

Baidu Encyclopedia—Er Cheng