A Study Of Liu Zongzhou’s Thought In Gentleman Personality

Liu Zongzhou was a master at the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.In the age of tribulations and changes,the scholars faced a significant choice between seeking a position and staying at home as well as the life and death.They honed the extraordinary personality and spirit.This paper mainly uses the two texts of Explaining of The Analects and Renpu as research materials and compares the characteristics of Liu’s early and late gentlemen’s personality thought.Explaining of The Analects is the iconic text of Liu’s thoughts.The book basically establishes the system of "shendu" and it involves lots of differences between gentlemen and villains.It is a good early comparison material.In his later years,Renpu established the theoretical support with "changing one’s evil ways and reforming" as the "shendu" and teaching how to be a real gentleman.Through the discussion of this article,we can have a knowledge of the gentleman’s personality thought expressed in Explaining of the Analects which has certain differences and changes with the thoughts in the later years’ text Renpu.As far as I am concerned,this transformation should not be regarded as ideological break-down but is continuous and consistent.This article explores Liu’s gentleman personality thought from five parts.The introduction part introduces the theoretical background and significance of Liu ’s study on the personality of the gentleman,the research status of Liu’s thought and the gentleman’s personality thought,as well as the research methods and innovations of this paper.The first chapter introduces the reason why Liu’s personality thoughts are put forward.Explaining of The Analects is not only a theory based on the division of gentlemen and villains in social reality,but also a reflection of personal interest.The writing of Renpu has a new opportunity.The “Real Confucianism" values that Liu adheres to are not only a sublation of the utilitarianism of the Ming dynasty,but also a rebellion against the study of Yangming’s later study academically.The second chapter focuses on exploring the connotation of the gentleman’s personality in Explaining of The Analects including "Ren" of gentleman,the vast image of gentleman’s personality and "shendu" of gentleman.Liu put forward that the study of gentlemen is the study of "shendu".Liu emphasized the importance of the spirit of practice by taking "shendu" as a concrete step in the development of a gentleman’s personality.From the perspective,the gentleman is based on “Ren” and constantly moves toward this goal,and finally realizes the gentleman’s personality.The third chapter focuses on the dilemmas and paths of the development of the gentleman’s personality in Renpu.The book explores the feasible paths of the achievement of the gentleman’s personality from a new perspective and is an important book about the gentleman’s personality.In this text,Liu succinctly sorts out the evils of the person.At the same time,from the opposite direction of "shendu" and "changing one’s evil ways and reforming",the fundamental path of the development of the gentleman’s personality is discussed.The idea of "changing one’s evil ways and reforming" has provided a strong theoretical support and realistic possibility for the study of "shendu".Renpu affirms that human development is open,both the possibility of achieving a gentleman and the possibility of becoming a villain.This text explores the dilemmas of the separation of gentlemen and villains and the cultivation of gentlemen’s personality,and the four ways in which the gentleman’s personality is cultivated.Firstly,"Shendu" is the most fundamental step in the development of a gentleman’s personality.At the same time,it is also the starting step of no thoughts.Secondly,as the thought changes,the gentleman kept cautious when the mind started to change.Thirdly,in order to achieve the inner and outer consistency of the gentleman,how the gentleman acts in daily life which is operated in three directions of Jiurong-Wulun-Hundred deeds.In the fourth place,"changing one’s evil ways and reforming" is the implementation of "shendu" and it is consistent with the goal of being sage."Changing one’s evil ways and reforming" is the restoration and unification of the process and goal of being a gentleman.In the practice of "changing one’s evil ways and reforming",the gentleman personality can be cultivated.From these four aspects,the paths formed by the inner and outer gentlemen’s personality is clarified.The fourth chapter focuses on Liu’s personal gentleman’s personality practice.Firstly,he discusses Liu ’s early education and the laying of the gentleman’s personality.Then Liu’s theory was going through three changes,but he always kept the "Real Confucianist" attitude and made outstanding contributions in "learning" or "doing".The final part is the choice between the Tao and the forces.This article is to demonstrate the change of Liu’s gentleman personality thought in early and late stage,to understand the difference between the early Explaining of the Analects and the later works Renpu.Secondly,we can see the consistency and transformation of Liu’s pre-and postgentleman personality spirit and present the overall appearance of Liu’s personality.