Dai Zhen Book Of Songs Study

Dai Zhen lived in Qianjia period when the learning of textual research became popular and the Song dynasty doctrine about The Book of Songs became gradually weak. Dai Zhen's study of The Book of Songs contacted closely with academic background at that time.Dai Zhen studied The Book of Songs primarily in two terms those were textual research of the meaning of words and inquisition of the meaning of poems. The method of textual research is varied and the process of that is penetrating. The great majority of latecomers couldn't avoid those fruits of his textual research. Although textual research of the meaning of words is viewed as the place of strategic importance by Dai Zhen, he didn't give up the discussion of the meaning of poems. He abided by the aim of "pure ideology" and adopted "knowing one person through his/her generation" and "striving for the feeling of the ancients through his thoughts" when he discussed the meaning of poems. We can find Dai Zhen's merit and defect of discussing The Book of Songs through comparing his opinion with sonfucian discussion of The Book of Songs. He experienced a rather long process in study of The Book of Songs. We can find Dai Zhen's important progress in the level of study and the same and the difference in the thoughts of study through comparing his unfinished work Maoshibuzhuan with his representative work Maozhengshikaozheng and his final version Gaoxishijingbuzhu.Dai Zhen absorbed the Han dynasty scholar's idea of advocating political education and discussing poems in the means of beautifying and satirizing, meanwhile he could absorb the Song dynasty scholar's thoughts of putting the language of poems in an important position. He hadn't sectarian bias because he absorbed and criticized the Han and Song dynasty scholar's thoughts, merely the degree was different. He attached importance to Zhuan and Jian, but he both absorbed and criticized their viewpoints. So he didn't take sides with Mao or Zheng. Dai Zhen criticized repeatedly Zhu Xi's statement of salacious poems in his early wok Maoshibuzhuan, so he had an ingrained thought of respecting the classics and he wasn't a Zhu Xi's strong supporter in his early years. Comparing his late work Gaoxishijingbuzhu with Maoshibuzhuan, the former obviously attached importance to Zhu Xi. So Dai Zhen opposed Zhu Xi in part content. Form those we can find Dai Zhen's thoughts of seeking truth from facts.Dai Zhen and Hui Dong were academic leaders in the Qianjia period. By comparing their study of The Book of Songs, we can find they believed in the ancients. The difference is the later believing in the ancients blindly while the former could seek truth from facts on the basis of believing in the ancients. Although dividing Wu and Wan into two schools is reasonable, the division need make a further explanation or revision which doesn't make the division go to extremes.Dai Zhen made a remarkable achievement in study of The Book of Songs which has a far-reaching influence. His study of The Book of Songs had the limitations of his era because of historic factor, so some defects appeared.