The Construction And Evolution Of Zhou Dunyi's Neo-confucianism Founder Image

Zhou Dunyi enjoyed a high status in the history of neo-confucianism, he was honored as a neo-confucianism ancestor and patriarch. Zhou Dunyi's status in the history of neo-confucianism was not constructed in a short time, while through a relatively long process of construction that Hu Hong?Zhang Shi and Zhu Xi remodeled and constructed.During the Northern Song dynasty, the evaluation about Zhou Dunyi more focused on the two aspects of character and management, while his academic value was in a state of obscurity. Not until the Southern Song dynasty of Shaoxing years, Zhou Dunyi's academic thought has got attention. Hu Xiang School found Zhou Dunyi's ideological value at the first time and improved his image. Hu Hong equated Zhou Dunyi with Shao Yong, Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao and Zhang Zai, and regarded Zhou Dunyi as one of the Five Masters in the Northern Song Dynasty. Hu Hong also affirmed teacher-student relations between Zhou Dunyi and Cheng Yi?Cheng Hao, and considered Zhou Dunyi as a descendant of Confucius and put him in the pedigree chart of Confucian orthodoxy. Zhang Shi followed Hu Hong's words, he also confirmed the contribution of Zhou Dunyi in the pedigree chart of Confucian orthodoxy. Moreover, Zhang Shi wrote a lot of preface?postcript and tale to propagate Zhou Dunyi's academic achievement. Zhou Dunyi's academic status was becoming illustrious after Hu Xiang School worshiped him.Zhu Xi as the master of neo-confucianism, has played a crucial role in shaping Zhou Dunyi's neo-confucianism ancestor image. He sorted Zhou Dunyi's works more than once, and highlighted the importance of Taijitu as neo-confucianism programmatic document; discussed 'Taiji' with Lu Jiuyuan and Lu Jiushao; composed Yi Luo Yuan Yuan Lu and regarded Zhou Dunyi as the first one. The identity of neo-confucianism ancestor of Zhou Dunyi has become a consensus after Zhu Xi praised him.After Zhou Dunyi's neo-confucianism status has been established, Zhu Xi's students as Huang Gan and Du Zheng followed his theory, and consolidated Zhou Dunyi's neo-confucianism status further. In the Yuan dynasty and Ming dynasty,the neo-confucianism has occupied dominate position as an official ideology, therefore, Zhou Dunyi enjoyed a steady status in the history of neo-Confucianism. In the early Qing dynasty, the translocation of Hua and Yi caused severe shock in ideological circle, some scholars as Mao Qiling and Zhu Yizun doubted Taijitu's Confucian classics property, therefore, Zhou Dunyi's neo-confucianism status was being challenged. With the dispute between Han studies and Song studies gradually diminishing and sectarianism was abandoned, this controversy quitted the stage. In the middle and latter periods of Qing dynasty, Zhou Dunyi's academic was still praised by Hu Xiang scholars.