− | Zhu Xi, drawing upon the ideas of the brothers [[Cheng Hao]] ([[1032]]-[[1085]]) and [[Cheng Yi]]<!--程頤--> ([[1033]]-[[1107]]), postulated a universe comprised of ''qi'' 氣 - the material/energy essence that composes all things - and ''li'' 理 - the fundamental guiding principle by which all things are what they are. He identified ''li'' as a "pattern" within the broader, more general path that is The Way (the [[Tao]]), and exhorted his students to understand the fundamental concepts of ''qi'' and ''li'', rather than simply studying how to behave; Zhu is quoted as saying, "Compare this to a person walking along a road ... If he does not see [the road], how can he walk on it?"<ref>Ebrey (trans.) in Ebrey, 173.</ref> | + | Zhu Xi, drawing upon the ideas of the brothers [[Cheng Hao]] ([[1032]]-[[1085]])<!--号: Mingdao--> and [[Cheng Yi]]<!--程頤, aka号: Yichuan--> ([[1033]]-[[1107]]), postulated a universe comprised of ''qi'' 氣 - the material/energy essence that composes all things - and ''li'' 理 - the fundamental guiding principle by which all things are what they are. He identified ''li'' as a "pattern" within the broader, more general path that is The Way (the [[Tao]]), and exhorted his students to understand the fundamental concepts of ''qi'' and ''li'', rather than simply studying how to behave; Zhu is quoted as saying, "Compare this to a person walking along a road ... If he does not see [the road], how can he walk on it?"<ref>Ebrey (trans.) in Ebrey, 173.</ref> |
| Aside from his more philosophical or conceptual teachings, politically, Zhu Xi was a powerful advocate for the inclusion of practical knowledge in the education and testing of Confucian scholars. In addition, he suggested a curriculum based not on the broader set of Confucian classics studied previously, but rather on the [[Analects|Analects of Confucius]] (''Lúnyǔ''), the writings of [[Mencius]] (''Mèngzǐ''), and two chapters he excerpted from the [[Book of Rites]] (''Lǐjì''): the [[Great Learning]] (''Dàxué''), and [[The Mean]] (''Zhōngyōng''). Together, these came to be known as "the Four Books."<ref>Valerie Hansen, ''The Open Empire'', New York: W.W. Norton & Company (2000), 357.</ref> | | Aside from his more philosophical or conceptual teachings, politically, Zhu Xi was a powerful advocate for the inclusion of practical knowledge in the education and testing of Confucian scholars. In addition, he suggested a curriculum based not on the broader set of Confucian classics studied previously, but rather on the [[Analects|Analects of Confucius]] (''Lúnyǔ''), the writings of [[Mencius]] (''Mèngzǐ''), and two chapters he excerpted from the [[Book of Rites]] (''Lǐjì''): the [[Great Learning]] (''Dàxué''), and [[The Mean]] (''Zhōngyōng''). Together, these came to be known as "the Four Books."<ref>Valerie Hansen, ''The Open Empire'', New York: W.W. Norton & Company (2000), 357.</ref> |