The Late Ming And Early Qing Inquiring Research

This article is to describe the inheritance and innovation of interpretation of "Investigate Things to Extend Knowledge" in The Great Learning by these thinkers in Late Ming and Early Qing Dynasty, and then reveal the turning and variation of Confucian thought in Late Ming and Early Oing Dynasty. There are two aspects in the turning and variation: first, the turning from talking about metaphysical problems to researching practical problems, also from thoughts of ontological idealist to thoughts of practices; second, it does not mean the turning and variation are totally different with the research directions. These thoughts on "Investigate Things to Extend Knowledge" were developing forward and gradually. Many philosophers' thoughts have inheritance and retention of Song and Ming Confucianism. It should be paid more attention for researching development of thoughts.Scholars traced the reason of thoughts' change from two aspects: First, political crisis, culture crisis and national crisis made these thinkers use the more practical and immediate method to solve the problem of reality and times. One of the methods is to re-interpret those core proposition in traditional classic. Second, the development of philosophical connotations in Confucianism, the difference of theoretical points between Zhuzi School and Yanmming School, resulted in conflict on their interpretation of "Investigate Things to Extend Knowledge", which needs to be evaluated.This paper is divided into three parts: the fist one is introduction; the second one is the interpretation on "Investigate Things to Extend Knowledge" by Wang Fuzhi, Huang Zongxi, Mao Xianshu, Yan Yuan; the third one is concluding remarks. It attempts to find out the historical meaning of ideological transformation at the base of describing the four thinkers' interpretation.