Research On Yan Yuan "Gewu" Thought

The social changes in the late Ming and early qing dynasties brought deep stimulation to the scholars at that time.The change of dynasties,social turmoil and other realities like a hammer struck deeply in people’s heart.This "heavy hammer" woke up some Confucian scholars with advanced thoughts and sense of danger.It made them realize that the study of cheng,zhu and lu,wang who advocated reading and sitting quietly could not play a role in saving the country and the nation from the crisis.Therefore,these scholars turned away from the study of "conscience" and "natural principles" and began to devote themselves to the knowledge of products.Yan yuan is one of them.This paper is based on the literature of yan yuan’s works and the existing research results.This paper is divided into four parts to make a systematic analysis and evaluation of yan yuan’s "gewu" thought.Part I: narrate the social and historical background and academic background of yan yuan’s "gewu" thought.In the late Ming and early qing dynasties,the change of the regime caused extreme social unrest.The corrupt rule of the Ming government and the high pressure policy of the government made all kinds of contradictions intensify unprecedentedly.It is in such a chaotic background that yan yuan’s thought of "gewu" came into being.The emergence of budding capitalism liberates the mind to a certain extent.In addition,the fall of the Ming dynasty stimulated a group of patriotic scholars.For a while,the pursuit of the knowledge of products rose.Yan yuan,as one of them,strongly advocated the practice of "advocating truth instead of false".Therefore,on the basis of criticizing neo-confucianism in the song and Ming dynasties,yan yuan established his own theory of "gewu"The second part: narrate the theoretical basis of yan yuan’s "gewu" thought.Yanyuan thinks that the reason why cheng,zhu and lu,wang have formed the wrong view of "gewu" is that they all hold the wrong theory of origin and theory of human nature.The origin of all things in the world is "qi" instead of "li",not "conscience".The wrong views of human nature,such as the inherent evil of human nature,"the existence of natural principles and the destruction of human desires",led the views of cheng,zhu and lu,wangzhi to deeper mistakes.As a result,they are unable to face up to utilitarianism in their academic thoughts,which leads to their academic emptiness and uselessness.This was criticized by yan yuan.And he Put forward the view that "qi" is the origin of all things,emphasizing the "unity of li and qi".As "li" and "qi" are good,people are born with qi,so human nature is also good.Moreover,yan yuan also positively recognized the rationality of the existence of human desire.At the same time,yan yuan also admitted the existence of "evil".If blindly by the illicit material desire of the traction,people’s own "good" will be covered.Therefore,in order to maintain his own "good" nature,yan yuan advocated the kung fu of "gewu".The third part: this part mainly discusses the main content of yan yuan’s "gewu"thought.Firstly,the meaning of "ge" and "wu" in yan yuan’s academic thought is clarified.He thinks that real practice can produces real knowledge.As for the issue of becoming sages which people are keen on,yan yuan believes that even if only proficient in the "one art" is also said to be a gentleman.Therefore,in terms of the connotation of "wu",yan yuan attaches most importance to the "six arts".Compared with the neo-confucianism of song and Ming,yan yuan paid more attention to direct experience with emphasis on practical wor.Therefore,one of the ways to achieve"gewu" is to "practice".Not only see“li” in things,but practices “li” in things.In addition to,people should know "respect".In the process of "gewu",people should have a serious and correct,respectful and cautious attitude.After discussing theconcept of "gewu" and the way to realize it,use " with "classics".His thought of "ge wu" not only has a reliable theoretical basis but also conforms to the principles of learning,teaching and governance of Confucius and mencius.Beside,it is not a completely rigid and conservative thought.Yan yuan’s thought of "gewu" pushed the ideological trend of applying to the world in the late Ming and early qing dynasties to a climax.it virtually expanded the influence oof his thought.It not only has the academic effect of refuting the empty style of study,but also liberates people’s thoughts to some extent.It should be noted that although yan yuan’s thought of"gewu" had a certain progressive significance and played a certain positive role at that time.His thought is not perfect,and it has its own shortcomings.The defects of attaching too much importance to practice,ignoring the indirect experience and the activities of writing and lecturing make yan yuan’s thoughts not being well inherited and disseminated.Yan yuan’s thought of "gewu" has certain enlightenment significance to modern society.In the process of personal growth,we should pay attention to the cultivation of personal comprehensive ability.We should not only actively study and accumulate relevant knowledge,but also consciously exercise our ability to solve practical problems.To be useful to the country and society.For school,it should enrich the teaching forms,take the initiative to guide students out of the classroom,encourage hands-on operation,take the initiative to learn knowledge and practice.