Ch’ien Mu’s Research On Chu Hsi’s Theory

As a history master of ancient Chinese four classics, Ch’ien Mu gained brilliant achievements in the research of Chu Hsi’s theory; also he was a symbol of the New Confucianism history in the20th centory, who had his own special style of views and methods in studying Chu Hsi’s theory.Ch’ien Mu thought that only Chu Hsi could compare with Confucius in history of Chinese academic. Whatever supporting or accusing Chu Hsi, Ch’ien Mu standing in the middle. All the academic thoughts after the mid-ancient progressed around Chu Hsi’s theory.In Ch’ien Mu’s opinion, there were four great contributions to the Chinese academic thoughts made by Chu Hsi. To begin with, Chu Hsi formatted the new Confucian orthodoxy. Then, he collected and annotated the "SiShu". Furthermore, he revaluated the status of the traditional Confucian classics. Finally, he assembled the theories of the masters after Confucius.Ch’ien Mu not only paid much attention to Chu Hsi’s spirit of synthesize and master the classics, but also admired his creative character. Chu Hsi is the one who wanted to build the great academic through his comprehension.Ch’ien Mu brought forward his so many different views for Chu Hsi’s theory in the "LiQi" theory, the "mind-nature" theory and the spirit of academic, while his judgment of status of Chu Hsi’s theory were so different from others. Ch’ien Mu considered it was not "Two body confrontation"but"Daniel and integration" in the "LiQi" theory. He objected the differentiation made by the academic circle in the "mind-nature" theory and promoted the status of the "mind" in the Chu Hsi’s theory, at the same time, he held that Chu Hsi was the best talker about "mind". Meanwhile Ch’ien Mu endowed the character of "Qian way" in the Chu Hsi’s academic spirit, he deemed it succeed to the tradition of "book of changes".There were three major features in methodology when Ch’ien Mu researched on Chu Hsi’s theory. First and foremost, he discussed Chu Hsi with the opinion of synthesize and master the classics. Besides, he annotated Chu Hsi’s theory by the way "A whole is divided into two aspects, two aspects of a whole". Last but not least, he explained the concepts of "Science","heart","nature"based on the history. Above can give expression a thought of "Study on Chinese learning in Chinese way"It is an overall that in the research of Chu Hsi’s theory Ch’ien Mu acquired Outstanding achievements, which has far reaching influences not to Chu Hsi’s theory but to history of Chinese academic. Of cause, Ch’ien Mu also had theory difficulties in studying on Neo-Confucianism, which mainly contain the conflicts between the Ethnicity and the Human nature from the academic perspective, and the contradiction between the universality and the otherness from the category.Ch’ien Mu’s research on Chu Hsi’s theory takes on five academic characters. To start with is the natural law by fusing the naturalism of west and east, ancient and modern. Next is the empiricism which integrates reason and affection. In addition are the academic characters which not only showing his own by history study but indicating the nature with his mind. Fourth, he had the international thought of "theory that man is an integral part of nature^Internal and external integration". Finally he unifies the ancient Chinese four classics, including the argumentation, textual research, poetry and prose.These test arrivals at a conclusion that they were an academic inheritance and a transformation of the normal form from Chu Hsi to Ch’ien Mu.