Study Of Ye Dehui’s Thought On Confucian Classics

In modern academic history,Ye Dehui was one traditional and profound scholar with manyachievements.In fact,study of Confucian classics was more important to himself.So studying histhought on Confucian Classics is meaningful for us.This paper was about his thought all lifetime,based on serious and reliable plain text, aimed at comprehending,recognizing and analyzing itstrue face and essence.The thesis was consisted of six parts:the shaping of his thought,the expression of hispositions,his idea upon the history of the study of Confucian classics,his thought about masteringand applying Confucian classics,his feelings and experiences and writings about the study ofConfucian classics,and the conclusion. The final shaping of Ye’s thought and academic ambitionnot only resulted from Neo-confucianism atmosphere in Hunan province,Han Learning origin ofWu region,prevailing custom in teachers and friends,knowledge of Neo-confucianism and HanLearning and philology from family education,but also Ye’s personal preference and choice madea key role. First, in study of Confucian classics,the spirit of seeking for knowledge and facts couldbe found upon ye dehui.His attitude toward learning was of seeking truth from facts,showing hisrational self-consciousness.Thus,he esteemed reality and disgusted deficiency,admiring the HanSchool and criticizing the Song School,respecting ancient classics learning and opposing tocurrent classics learning.He held himself and insisted on his own academic road and rules,notobeying blindly to predecessors and authority.He didn’t agree with the incompatible controvercybetween the Han School and the Song School,but also the tone or theory of reconciling the differences and similarities between them.He didn’t follow the academic fashion and echoauthority even his teachers,so he severely criticized the fallacies of Kang Youwei and LiangQichao’s Gong Yang Study.To the history of Confucian classics’ studies,he stuck to his own ideaand constructed his own academic pedigree.Second,besides these scholarly art on the surfaceabove all,the ethical system in Confucian classics,such as Three Cardinal Guides and FiveConstant Virtues,persisted and protected by him throughout his life, had become his internalprinciples and faith during early time.So the idea of mastering and applying Confucian classicsappearing in his mind was not that strange.Though it was difficult for him to avoid being criticizedas conservative and backward,Ye had his own insights actually.Throughout his lifetime,Ye lovedand studied Confucian classics,causing his doing research upon ShuoWenJieZi,bibliography,thestudy on text and exegesis,etc.As the author,I will do my best to this,and further more,I think,it can help us deepen andexpand our understanding on relevant events and backgrounds of politics,economy,society andculture,but also can help us digest and refine our sence of academic and thought’s history.