Huang Kan’ Perspectives Of Taoism

The academic research of Southern Dynasties stresses the exploration ofconnotations and principles in books, and set side by side that of Northern Dynastieswhich emphasizes the explanation of words in ancient books. The former developed amore distinct style of interpretation in ancient books based on the style of collectiveannotations established during the period of Wei and Jin Dynasties. Interpretation stylemainly expresses the views of the authors who consult plenty of annotations of the bookfrom others. Huang Kan’s Interpretations of the Analects (Lun Yu Yi Shu), completed inthe Wudi period of Liang State of Southern Dynasties, disappeared in the middle ofSouthern Song Dynasty and returned from Japan in the Qianlong period of QingDynasty, was really a grand synthesis of previous annotations of the Analects. Focusingon the study of versions, stylistic rules and layouts, and annotation methods, at present itis insufficient to study systematically the philosophical thought embedded inInterpretations of the Analectsin academia. However, this thesis studies the Taoist viewsof Interpretations of Analects systematically in the basis of previous fruits ofpredecessors, revealing that the book fused Confucianism and Taoism.The thesis includes three big parts except the preface.The first part summarizes the gist of Interpretation of the Analects.(Lun Yu Yi Shu)Simultaneously, it vets the life and experiences of the author, introduces the backgroundof compiling the book historically and academically, explains the necessity why exploitsTaoism to comment on Confucianism and gives the basic characteristics ofInterpretation of the Analects.The second part, the core of the whole thesis, mainly expounds and studies theTaoism in Interpretations of Analects. Through the comparison of the Analects ofConfucius Variorum (Lun Yu Ji Zhu), compiled by Zhu Xi, and Interpretations of theAnalects, the author differs the views of Huang Kan, who explains Confucianism byusing Taoism, from those of Zhu Xi, the representative of orthodox Confucians, whoannotates Confucianism by Confucian values, in philosophical thinking. However, the highly consistence can be seen by comparing Huang Kan’s and Zhu Xi’s differentannotation methods on the key concepts of the Analects of Confucius, such as“benevolence”,“filial piety”,“rites”,“morals”, etc. Therefore, Huang Kan can beconsidered as one of prominent Confucians.The third part analyzes the status of Huang Kan and significance of Interpretationsof the Analects in the history of Confucian Classics. First, the author manages the threadof the history of Confucianism from Eastern Han Dynasty to Tang Dynasty. Then, theauthor discusses Huang Kan and his work. Because the time of Huang lived is atransition between imperial Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism (also known as LiXue,Song Xue or Xin Li Xue), Huang unavoidably was influenced by these two differentbut closely linked thoughts. So it is apparent that Huang’s status in the history ofConfucianism is a connecting link. And his interpretations, of course, feature theexplanation of words as well as connotations in ancient books.