Study On The Connotation Of Eclectics

Eclectics is one part of nine genres and ten schools of Zhu-zi’s record in the Yi Wen Record of the History of the Former Han Dynasty(Record of the Former Han Dynasty). It was ranked eighth and just takes precedence over Nong School and XiaoShuo School. Since there existed no formal name of Eclectics as a branch of ZhuZI Schools when Liu Xin composed Seven Categories, which, as a result, caused the ambiguity of Eclectics in after-going dynasties, a bad influence is, thus, had on the research of Ecletics. And this paper, by means of the investigation of academic history and the connotation development of Eclectics, tries to take a further step to interpret the original materials of Record of Former Han Dynasty, make a summary of the main characters of the connotation of Ecletics and clarify some basic problems of the related research under the inspection of the description and contents of Ecletics, which means to promote the research of Ecletics.The whole paper is unfolded basically from three aspects, namely the introduction, the body and conclusion.The introduction, as the first chapter, mainly focuses on the significance of the subject, the theoretical methodology and structure of the paper.The second chapter, namely development of the academic history toward Electics, tries to clarify the span of the Electics-related research in the historical angle, under the framework of the criticism of the concepts of Electics. As for the ancient period, the contribution of three works including Shitong, Tongzhi and Xiaochutongyi are discussed, while in the part concerning the modern period, the current situation of the research towards Electics is put into details by means of both bibliography and Zhuzi-ology. Because of the unsolved problems existed in the perspective, difficulty and body of scholarship, the academic achievement is thus both deficient and unqualified. However, the research of Electics deserves more research due to its importance in the bibliography, thought history and the theory of art and literature.The development of the connotation of Electics, as the third chapter, tries to clarify the evolution of connotation in Electics from a historical view. The name of Electics first appeared in Record of the Former Han Dynasty, and was later developed in the documentations like the Categorization of Classical Works of Record of Sui Dynasty, The General Catalogue of Chongwen, Reader’s List in Junzhai Room, The Yi Wen Record of General Annuals, the Book list in Sui Chu Study and the Categorization of Classical Works in General History of Documents. And in Ming Dynasty, great attention towards the Electics is paid within the public and private catalog of books. Si-Ku-Quan-Shu-Zong-Mu proves to be the overall conclusion of the historical development and the "melter" of catalog of Electics as well. Thus, two different connotation forms of Zhu-zi Electics and Practical-Electics are distinguished considering the development of connotations in Electics of successive dynasties.Chapter Four, The Nature of Admonition and Suggestion in Connotation of Eclectics (first half), studies the first one among the Eclectics’two characteristics. Ban Gu believes that Zhuzi’s are from Officials of Royalty and Eclectics are from officials of Suggestion which are not the names of officials related with officials of Admonition and Lang (inferior officials) of Suggestion. The Admonition and Suggestion in Eclectics’works in Record of Former Han Dynasty has developed as criticism in the Three Saints of Later Han. After Sui and Tang, it gradually becomes weaker, and evaporated.Chapter Five, namely The Comprehensive in Connotation of Eclectics (second half), studies the second characteristics of Eclectics. The origin of’eclectic’is collection but not divergence. It is used to name the school with its comprehensive characteristic which concludes all schools, rather than with its derogatory sense. This article mainly analyzes the comprehensive representation on Zhuzi schools in quality and quantity based on the example of The Lu Shih Gi`un Ch`iu. The comprehensive representation can be seen universally in Eclectics’ works in Record of Former Han Dynasty. However, from the Categorization of Classical Works in the Record of Sui Dynasty on, Eclectics quickly expands into a school which includes all genres. In Si-Ku-Quan-Shu-Zong-Mu, it becomes the biggest comprehensive genre with six subcategories n number in Zi Radical.Chapter Six Conclusion concludes the Connotation of Eclectics and provides the prospect of its research.