A Study Of Er Cheng’s "Inner Sage And Outer King"

Later philosophers pay special attention to the study of Confucianism when they study Chinese philosophy,and the study of Confucian philosophy can not escape the four words"Sage Inside and king outside".But "the sage inside and the king outside" was not put forward by Confucianism.It first appeared in Zhuangzi·Tianxia,but it is undeniable that it is a concrete exposition of the basic spirit of Confucianism.The two Cheng brothers,first of all,summed up Confucian philosophy as”Sage Inside and king outside”.On the basis of previous studies,this paper interprets the thought of"Sage Inside and king outside" in the context of brothers Cheng’s theoretical basis,cultivation methods and ultimate pursuit.This paper is divided into six parts.The introduction mainly describes the research significance,research status and innovation,as well as research methods and reasons.The first part of the text discusses the ideological germination of "inner sage and outer king",studies the "inner sage and outer king" of Confucius,Mencius,Xunzi and Da Xue,and discusses its foresight and shortcomings.The second part discusses the evolution process of "Sage Inside and king outside"in history.The third and fourth parts mainly take brothers Cheng’s thought as the frame,expound their unique thought of”Sage Inside and king outside”to express their ideal pursuit.The fifth part is the overall reflection on the thought of"inner saint and outer king".Taking the new concept of”inner saint and outer king" in today’s society as the breakthrough point,this paper discusses it from the perspective of Er Cheng,to make up for its shortcomings,and to reflect the outstanding contribution of Er Cheng brothers to the way of "inner saint and outer king".