Study Of The Eastern Jin Dynasty Literati Source

The current thesis focuses on the intellectuals of Dongjin Dynasty described in "shi-shuo-xin-yu", who undertook the politics or lived reclusively. Specifically, it studies their opinions on their own behaviors and characteristics.The comments of these intellectuals on undertaking the politics or living reclusively are illustrated clearly in "baxianlun" by XieWang and "nanbaxianlun" by Sunchuo. The former put forward the idea that living reclusively would be respected and undertaking politics would be condemned. And the latter brought forward the idea that both should be thought highly of as long as the transcendency is held mentally. These opinions reflect that the intellectuals have different emphases on physicality and mentality, form and nature.In terms of living reclusively, these intellectuals show their distinguished characteristics by moving from forests to the countryside and changing their identity from gaoshi (being famous but incompatible with the philistinism) to mingshi ( being famous and compatible with the trendiness). The nature of this kind of change indicates the transformation from being reclusive to following their own individualization.In terms of undertaking politics, the intellectuals show that, on the one hand, mingshi can exchange their comments on sanxuan and Buddhism, in a state of being above worldly considerations mentally; on the other hand, some of these intellectuals can make a lot of achievements in helping their leaders obtain the territory of southern part of Yangtze river arid succeeding in realizing their own ambitiousness. The combination of the two have been different greatly from the past situations, that is, between being above worldly considerations and accomplishing their own ambitiousness, the past intellectuals of Wei & Jin Dynasty achieved the latter but not the former and the intellectuals of Xijin Dynasty accomplished the former but not the latter. This marvelous combination became the forerunner of the mental situation of the intellectuals of Zhao & Song Dynasty, whose ideas base on new Confucianism, believing in the idea that taking care of themselves_and the nation and its people as well.