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hu blended this conception with ideas from the Book of Change and its commentaries in setting forth a comprehensive philosophy of cosmic and human creativity, providing philosophical grounds for the received Confucian concepts of human nature and self-cultivation. Zhu's penchant for thinking in polarities—li and qi, in particular—has continued to stir critics to regard him as a dualist who used two concepts to explain reality. For his part, any viable account of the complexity of phenomena must involve two or more facets in order to register their complexity and changes.

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In Zhou's treatise, Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Polarity (Taiji tu shuo), Zhu discerned a viable account of the formation of the world in stages from the original unformed qi, to yin and yang, the five phases -- earth, wood, fire, water and metal -- and on to heaven, earth and the ten thousand things.

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He thus portrays the realized person as both a vital participant in cosmic creativity and a catalyst for the flourishing and self-realization of others. On this basis, Zhu goes on to formulate the definitive definition of ren (humanity, authoritative personhood) for the subsequent tradition: "the essential character of mind" and "the essential pattern of love." The virtue of ren grounds the disposition of mind as commiserative and describes the core of moral self-realization as love for others (other-directed concern), appropriately manifested.

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The Four Cardinal Virtues Zhu Xi Followed

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The Four Cardinal Virtues Zhu Xi Followed

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the four cardinal virtues enunciated by Confucius -- humanity, appropriateness, ritual conduct and wisdom.

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(The settled Chinese terrain and climate were moderate and productive, supporting the view that nature generally was fecund and afforded suitable conditions for human flourishing.) This impulse to produce is instilled in all of the myriad creatures, but in man it is sublimated into the virtue of “humanity” ("authoritative personhood"), which, when fully realized, involves being caring and responsible to others in due degree. Zhu Xi similarly correlates the four stages of creativity and production in the cosmos and nature -- origination, growth, flourishing and firmness -- that were first indicated in the Book of Change,

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n "A Treatise on Humanity" (Renshuo), Zhu Xi articulates and systematizes the classical Confucian ideal of humanity (ren) in simultaneously cosmic and human perspective. At the same time, he effectively criticizes competing accounts of "humanity" on logical, semantic and ethical grounds. Following early tradition, Zhu associates humanity with cosmic creativity. At its root, humanity is the impulse of "heaven and earth" (the cosmos) to produce things. It is manifested vividly in the cycle of seasons and the fecundity of nature.

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Zhu Xi's ingenious solution was a two-pronged approach to cultivation that involved nurturing one's feeling of reverence (jing) while investigating things to discern their defining patterns (li). Reverence, a virtue taught by Confucius (551-479 BCE) and the classics, serves to purify the mind, attune one to the promptings of the original good nature and impel one to act with appropriateness (yi). At the same time, by grasping the defining, interactive patterns that constitute the world, society, people and upright conduct, one gains the key to acting appropriately. The mind that is imbued with a feeling of reverence and comprehends these patterns will develop into a good will (zhuzai) dedicated to rectitude and appropriate conduct.

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Preceding generations of Neo-Confucian scholars had tended not to register the complexity of human nature and the wide range of individual differences and advocated relatively straightforward approaches to self-cultivation as purifying the mind to elicit the natural responses of one’s original goodness. They tended to understand this process in itself to constitute self-realization. For example, Zhu's teacher Li Tong had strongly advocated a form of meditation called "quiet sitting," the efficacy of which the active young Zhu had doubted from the outset, at least for himself. Several years later, Zhu held discussions with Zhang Shi (1133-80), a follower of Hu Hong (1106-61), who had advocated “introspection in action.” Zhu initially embraced this approach, but soon found that it was not viable for himself. He found that such introspection in the heat of action could not inform or guide action. It tended to impede the flow of effective deliberate action by making one too self-conscious.

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Zhu's complex theory of human nature registered the possibility of evil as well as that of sagehood. On his theory, while (following Mencius, 372-289 BCE) people are fundamentally good (that is, originally sensitive and well-disposed), how one manifests this original nature will be conditioned by one's specificqi endowment (one's native talents and gifts), and one's family and social environment. These together yield one's empirical personality, intelligence and potential for cultivation and success. Zhu thought difference in individual disposition, character and aptitude for moral self-realization are due to variations inqi endowments and environments.

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Devoted to his work, he kept busy virtually to his last breath when he was rethinking and discussing the Great Learning. Throughout life, he sought to reestablish the fundamental principles and ideals of Confucianism in order to restore the vitality of China’s cultural and political integrity as a Confucian society, since those seeking spiritual guidance and solace were inclined to favor Daoism and Buddhism over the spiritually impoverished

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As a renowned teacher, Zhu taught the classics and Neo-Confucianism to hundreds, if not thousands, of students. His oral teachings are preserved in the Classified Dialogues of Master Zhu (Zhuzi yulei).

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Though his ideas never went unchallenged, Zhu Xi’s neo-Confucianism long dominated Chinese intellectual life, and his commentaries on the Four Books (Sishu) became required reading for all who hoped to pass the civil service examinations. His intellectual influence was also paramount in Korea, and his ideas won wide acceptance and official support in Tokugawa Japan as well.

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Zhu Xi erected a metaphysical synthesis that has been compared broadly to the systems of Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas and Whitehead. These “Great Chain” systems are hierarchical and rooted in the distinction between form and matter. Zhu advanced Zhou Dunyi's dynamic conception of reality as shown in the "Diagram of the Supreme Polarity" (Taiji tu), in order to conceive the Cheng brother's concept of li (pattern, principle) and Zhang Zai's notion of qi (cosmic vapor) as organically integrated in a holistic system.

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In these respects Zhu differed from the eminent contemporary neo-Confucian Lu Jiuyuan, who saw no distinction between natural law and vital energy and believed in human perfectability through meditation. In contrast to Lu Jiuyuan’s intuitionism, which focused on the discovery and understanding of ethical resources within oneself, Zhu Xi and his followers stressed the “investigation of things,” by which they meant primarily the study of ethical conduct and of the revered Five Classics.

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Zhu Xi’s philosophy emphasized logic, consistency, and the conscientious observance of classical authority, especially that of Confucious and his follower Mencius. Zhu Xi held that the cosmos has two aspects: the indeterminate and the determinate. The indeterminate, or Li, is natural law and determines the patterns of all created things. This law combines with the vital psychophysical qi to produce phenomena having form. In human beings the li, manifested as human nature(xing), is essentially perfect, and defects—including vices—are introduced into the body and mind through impurities of qi, or life force. Human beings may eliminate their mental imperfections through study of ethics and metaphysics.

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Similarly, in 1189 he wrote a commentary on Zhongyong (known in the West as the “Doctrine of the Mean”). It was largely because of the influence of Zhu Xi that these two texts came to be accepted along with the Analects and Mencius as the Four Books basic to the Confucian educational curriculum.

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In 1188 Zhu Xi wrote a major memorandum in which he restated his conviction that the emperor’s character was the basis for the well-being of the realm. Daxue (“Great Learning”), a text on moral government, asserted that by cultivating his mind the emperor set off a chain reaction leading to the moral transformation of the entire world

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While serving as prefect (1179–81) in Nankang, Jiangsi, Zhu Xi used the opportunity to rehabilitate the White Deer Grotto Academy, which had been founded in the 9th century and had flourished in the 10th century but had later fallen to ruin. The prestige restored to it by Zhu was to last through eight centuries. Academies such as this provided an invaluable institutional basis for the neo-Confucian movement.

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He thus became a productive scholar who made lasting contributions to classicism, historiography, literary criticism and philosophy. He was also a master of elegant prose and poetry

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Temple quiet life over administrative post

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Temple quiet life over administrative post

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Zhu was qualified to hold office and was assigned to several prefectural administrative posts. But Zhu was critical of central court policy on several key issues and preferred temple guardianships, which gave him leisure to read, write and teach. (This also shielded him from the cutthroat politics at court where his frankness would have been literally fatal to him.)

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Zhu’s father had recommended that he study under Li, but Zhu delayed seeing him until age 30, when he had spiritual doubts. A master in the tradition of the Cheng brothers, Li convinced Zhu of the superiority of the Confucian Way and cultivation, to which Zhu devoted himself for the next forty years. Having passed the jinshi examination

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A prodigy, he passed the top-level jinshi exam (the “presented scholar” exam) at the young age of nineteen, drawing on Chan buddhist notions in his answers. He continued to nurture an eclectic interest in Daoism and Buddhism until he became the student of the Neo-Confucian master Li Tong (1093-1163) in 1160.

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Zhu Xi, Wade-Giles romanization Chu Hsi, also called Zhuzi or Zhufuzi, (born October 18, 1130, Youxi, Fujian province, China—died April 23, 1200, China), Chinese philosopher whose synthesis of neo-Confucian thought long dominated Chinese intellectual life.

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After losing his father, Zhu Song (1097-1143), in his youth, he was raised in the company of several eclectic scholars, including Buddhists.

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A precocious child, he asked what lay beyond Heaven at age five and grasped the import of the Classic of Filiality (Xiaojing) at age eight.