Research On Shangshu Yinyi

Wang Fuzhi, also known as Chuanshan, was a famous thinker during the late Ming and early Qing periods. It was a turbulent period. The problem in academic was the empty style of study in Confucianism and the lack of attention to history and Classics, and inner cultivation and exterior action. Because of that, Chuanshan attached great importance to the explanation of Classical and historical works, devoting to the resources which could help the future generations through the study on history and politics. The fist draft of Shangshu Yinyi finished when Chuanshan was 45 years old and he finalized it in 71 years old. Shangshu Yinyi is a great work, in which Wang Chuanshan expressed his philosophic thinking derived from the Book. The contents of Si Ku Quan Shu said that, "In general, it takes the afterwards events to illustrate the Book". It is unique which explained Classics by history. Chuanshan said in Comments about History as a Mirror, the Book was "the superlative of goverence". In his opinion, the Book was about inner cultivation and exterior action and the rule of virtue. Thus, the relationship between morality and the rule of virtue is the key point in Shangshu Yinyi."Cheng" is the core concept in Shangshu Yinyi. "Cheng" is a philosophical concept which doesn’t imply any certain concept. It refers to the relations among concepts and it make two concepts as the either the body and function of each other. Shangshu Yinyi explains "Cheng" as "real existence" from the very beginning. "Cheng" refers to real existence of Mandate of Heaven, real existence of attributes, real existence of morality, and also means everything has basis of existence and values. Therefore, Chuanshan thought that the material life made sense and it was possible to start the rule of virtue from morality practice. "Cheng" is not only the real existence in human body, but also the moral realm in human being. Human being needs to continue proving moral realm on the moral attributes by practice to achieve "Cheng". Accordingly, mind cultivation and moral practice and even open-up of rule of viture, are all the externalization and realization of "Cheng". The concept of "Cheng" runs through the theory of attribute, mind and the rule of virtue in the book. "Xing" is a form quality. He also accepted the differentiate between innate human nature and postnate human nature, but both of them unify in form quality and Mandate of Heaven. By the discrimination of "Qi Zhong Xing" and "Xing Zhong Qi"(Zhong is Cheng), Wang Chuanshan believed that there were basis of values inhuman being as well as the basic instinct and demands in human body, and both were combined by the moral practice and open-up of rule of virtue. Wang Chuanshan proposed the views that human nature was generated gradually. He considered human nature as general, essential and individual, simple and actual and generating gradually. He focused on how the good and the evil generated and how to change human nature.When talking about "Cheng", Wang Chuanshan also focused on "Ming". "Ming"is the only way to "Cheng". "Ming"is the cognitive ability of "heart". It could follow things and be guided by perceptual experience. Therefore, Shangshu Yinyi differentiated "the heart of human being" and the "heart of morality". "The heart of human being" is perception, function and affection, and " the heart of morality" is the inherent moral rules and moral sentiments. It focuses on the dominance of "heart", which means "the heart of morality" dominates "the heart of human being", and "zhi", which generates from the combination of "the heart of morality" and "the heart of human being", dominates consciousness activity and physiological instincts, and then consciousness activity dominates perceptual experience. Wang Chuanshan also paid attention to "peace of heart". "Peace of heart" is a good condition of moral cultivation, and it could only be achieved by the dominance of heart.Shangshu Yinyi has rich governance idea and it focused on transferring moral practice to good politics and rules. Wang Chuanshan believed that "heaven: was the source of political rights and people are not vassals of the emperor. People needs protection, so the emperor could learn from the heaven to support all life and "parenting the people". "Heaven" is not sky or god in the theory of givernance; it is a combination of moral duty of protecting people and practice in conformity with the law of subjectivity and objectivity. Wang Chuanshan neither advocated allowing all opinions from people, nor advocated ignoring people’s comments. In his opinion, moral politics must be effective politics. Based on that, he built up his understanding of inner cultivation and exterior action. Wang Chuanshan advocated the theory of historical change, so he opposed using "ugly politics" to question inner cultivation and exterior action in ancient period and the Three Dynasties. He concluded the moral sources in inner cultivation and exterior action and proposed the theory of "passing on morality not governance".