| Chen Xiang (1017-1080) is the most important figure of the "four figures in Min zhong Area". He occupied a certain position in the history of Confucianism and the intellectual history and played a significant role in the forming process of Neo-Confucianism. Because of historical reasons and limited spread of his works,Chen Xiang and the importance of his thoughts have not attracted sufficient attention in the past. This paper aims to embark on a research about Chen Xiang’s thoughts and related conditions of his administrative activities on the basis of studying as many works as possible, and thus to supplement the so-called" back to the Song, only less than four gentlemen" by Quan Zuwang and to provide a view to the overall study of the Song and Ming academics.Among thinkers in the early Song Dynasty, Chen Xiang had noticed the importance of the Book of Changes and, the Doctrine of the Mean and started his creative research. He used the "understanding meaning method" to study the key figures in the Book of Changes. He also stressed that the author of the Doctrine of the Mean was only explaining rather than creating, intending to highlight the decisive role played by Confucius in the history of Confucianism.Chen Xiang became an official after he passed the exam to be a "Jinshi". He understood very well the officialdom and the sufferings of the people with practical experience. Chen Xiang took the Confucian benevolence and its basic principle as his political beliefs and ideas.During that period of being an official, he carried out the political principles of Confucianism, taught in schools and promoted the well-being for the common good, which greatly improved the intellectual ethos of the then society.In the early stage of Neo-Confucianism, Chen Xiang persisted in the basic idea of "returning to the Confucianism". He discovered and highly recommended such people as Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi and Zhang Zai to the outside, which contributed to a broader living space for the Neo-Confucianism.. |
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