A Study Of Zhu Xi's Early Thought

It is universally acknowledged that Zhu Xi (1130-1200), the great synthesizer who virtually reconstitutes the Confucian tradition, develops an inclusive humanist vision that integrates personal self-cultivation with social ethics and moral metaphysics in a holistic philosophy of life thus starts the Learning of the Principle, known in the West as Neo-Confucianism. However, this dissertation focuses on the theoretical bases of Zhu Xi's great synthesis, the issue of "Equilibrium and Harmony." I would argue that the study of Zhu Xi's formative years is a perspective of important significance, and that the ideas of Li Yanping (1093-1163) play the most significant role in Zhu Xi's great synthesis.The present study develops in two parts. The first consists of Chapters I, II and III, discussing Zhu Xi's study with mentors before Li Yanping. It is the second part, from Chapter IV to Chapter VII, that is the core of my research, which systematically presents Li's influence on Zhu Xi. My argument is that the most influential idea upon Zhu Xi's Learning of the Principle is Li Yanping's theory of the "oneness of the fundamental principle" and the "multiplicity of its concrete manifestations", which was originally proposed by Cheng Yi. I further argue that it is Li Yanping's theory of "quietude" that is the most important foundation of Zhu Xi's ideological system. As the result of Li Yanping's influences, Zhu Xi develops the theory of "Equilibrium and Harmony," puts much emphasis on the concept of the "Investigation of Things," and eventually unites the mind and the principle by self-cultivation.Methodologically, this study of the development and significance of Zhu Xi's early thoughts is based on the primary texts of the Collected Literary Works and the Classified Conversations of Zhu Xi.