A Study Of Wang Maohong's Academic Thought

In the academic history of Qing dynasty,Wang Maohong???(1668-1741)gained his reputation for compiling the Chronicle of Zhu Zi????.His accomplishments in the textual criticism of confucian classics and history was highly regarded by scholars since Qianlong??(1736-1796)and Jiaqing??(1796-1820)reigns.During the reigns of Kangxi??(1662-1722)and Qianlong,the studies of Zhu Xi??(1130-1200)were widely recognized through the society and held in high esteem.At that time,confucian scholars displayed their achievements by expounding and propagating Zhu Xi's studies with their own explanations.In the mid-Ming dynasty,scholars began to use the method of textual analysis to explore ancient knowledge,which became the herald of the Pu Xue??.At the same time,Lu-Wang Xinxue????as well as The Yan-Li School????also had their own position in academia.Wang Maohong,a confucian from Jiangnan??,in his early years he discussed academic issues with Fang Bao??,Zhu Zeyun???and other scholars such as Yan Ruoqu???,Hui Shiqi???,Li Gong??,Zhang Boxing???,Chen Pengnian???.During their discussions,Wang Maohong advocated Zhu Xi's study all along.In doing so,he responded to the initiative of the Qing government to develop ideology.But he did not support the meditation and not follow the old patterns,instead,he analyzed the information of space-time,characters in Zhuzi Wenji????as well as ZhuZi Yulei????.Wang Maohong examined the phraseology and diction,went through the contexts,checked evidence,proved the principle of righteousness,also did textual research in the annalistic biography of Zhu Xi and studied the authenticity of Zhu Xi's work.The Chronicle of Zhu Xi manifested Wang Maohong's academic style and thoughts and provided a vivid example of studying academic history in the Qing period(1644-1911).Nianpu is combined with chronicles and biography,sources arranged in a chronological pattern.In the compilation of Nianpu,adding and removing of contents closely related to the identity,thinking and motivation of the writer.From the time of Qian Jia to today,the aacademia regard and respect the Wang Maohong,mainly fromthe perspective of the examination of the Chronicle of Zhu Zi.The motives of the Chronicle of Zhu Zi were ostensibly to point out the mistakes in Zhuzi Wannian Dinglun??????which written by Wang Yangming and refute the point of“the consistency between Zhu and Lu”.However,the Chronicle of Zhu Zi was actually meant to criticize some popular books at that time such as Zhuzi Quanshu????edited by Li Guangdi???,Zhuzi Yulei Jilue??????edited by Zhang Boxing???,and to correct the misunderstandings of Neo-Confucian philosophers,it was also a potential response to Kangxi's ideal of“Lixue Zhenwei Lun”.Specifically,the Chronicle of Zhu Zi can be divided into four themes,that is,the examination of Zhu's early experience,the analysis of communication between Zhu and Zhang,the formation of Zhu and Lu's dispute,and the purpose of Zhu's later years.Wang Maohong studied the early years of Zhu Xi with an intention to dilute the impact of Li Dong??on Zhu Xi.The purpose of Wang's book,ostensibly for criticizing Wang Yangming's Zhuzi Wannian Dinglun,was to criticize the misinterpretation by philosophers in the time of Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns.In Zhuzi Nianpu,Zhang Shi??and Lu Jiuyuan???respectively present two types of scholars whom Zhuxi had connection with.As far as Wang Maohong understood it,Zhang Shi agreed with Zhu Xi on the whole.In his writing,he used Zhang Shi as a clue to study Zhu Xi's work and reveal the hardships that Zhu Xi have faced with.From Wang's point,Lu Jiuyuan???was the representative of scholars whose academic purposes had deviated from Zhu Xi's.With regard to the debate between Zhu and Lu,Wang Maohong often omitted the context of correspondences and especially interpreted the controversial words.He considered the debate between Zhu and Lu as the core topic in Zhu Xi's intellectual development.He presented the image of Zhu Xi as a master who perpetuated the orthodox and denounced the heterodoxy.Such asymmetry was fully reflected in the Chronicle of Zhu Zi.But it is hidden in the citation of literature and textual research on historical records and has not been explored by previous researchers.Wang Maohong analyzed Yushan Jiangyi????and believed that Zhu Xi did not just focus on the being of things in his later years.Wang also studied Zhu Xi's letters and he concluded that the precept of Maintaining reverence??is the coreof Zhu Xi's thought.Maintaining quietude??is absolutely different from Maintaining reverence.Under Wang Maohong's writing,the metaphysics in Zhu Xi's academic thought was repealed and replaced by Gongfu theory.He conceived Zhu Xi's method of study as the final conclusion in Zhu Xi's later life.Wang's view on the forgeries of Jia Li??and preceding nine charts in Zhouyi Benyi????was believed by many confucians in Qing period while many contemporary scholars were not.This is mostly because scholars have different perspectives on Zhu Xi's image.Wang Maohong's discussion on the forgeries of Jia Li not only refers to Yi Li??and Shu Yi??and other books to highlight the point that Jia Li has no basis in ancient times but also pays attention to the changes in social etiquette during the Ming and Qing Dynasties,emphasizing Jia Li is difficult to practice.Of course,the most important thing in Wang's discussion on the forgeries of Jia Li is the discovery of flaws in Zhu Xi's writings and discourses.He concluded that Zhu Xi had not written Jia Li before his death.Even though Wang Maohong examined the forgeries of Jia Li with limited literature,the innovation of his work can be seen from Chen Chun??,Huang Gan??,and other people's dissent.Another example is the former nine charts of Zhouyi Benyi.Wang Maohong analyzed the old version of Song and Yuan Dynasties and searched for Zhu Xi's language,believed that the nine charts were not made by Zhu Xi.This point reflects the prejudice of the Confucian scholars on the study of He Tu??and Luo Shu??in the early Qing Dynasty.Briefly,in all of Wang's work,the method of textual criticism vividly presented,in doing so,he intended to exclude some anachronistic contents therefore to highlighted the positive image of Zhu Xi.Wang Maohong's achievements in the field of Confucian Classics and histories have not taken seriously by academia.Wang discussed the forgeries of Guwen Shangshu????,and his point coincided with the view of Yan Ruoqu and Hui Dong??.But he took a more balanced view to Guwen Shangshu than Yan and Hui.He acclaimed that Guwen Shangshu cannot be discarded because some precious instructions made by sages were preserved in it.On the study of the Book of Songs??,Wang recognized the difference between Mao and Zheng,banished the clichéof former Confucian.He made lots of contributions during the revision of Zhu Xi's Shi Jizhuan???.On the study of Li Ji??,Wang reached a compromisebetween the opinions of Zheng Xuan??,Zhu Xi,and Chen Hao??,and explained the rites based on human sentiment and tried to put the rites into practical applications.In the Four Books??,Wang Maohong maintained that the precept of maintaining reverence as the core idea of Sishu Zhangju Jizhu??????.However,Wang MaoHong re-entered the Da Xue??and Zhong Yong??into the system of Li Ji.It not only reflects the emphasis of Qing Confucians on rites but also can be regarded as the dissolution of Zhu Xi's Four Books academic system.It has a very typical meaning among confucians in Qing dynasty.In the field of history,Wang Maohong studied history records,followed the method of collecting relevant historical materials and making textual criticism.Wang intended to inherit from Zhu Xi's ideal,revised and corrected Zizhi Tongjian Gangmu??????,and tried to reap the practical benefits of history while analyzing historical events and figures.In the analysis of historical events and critical figures,Wang Maohong gradually jumped away from the shackles of the historical perspective of heavenly order,and revealed the complex picture of history through the differences recorded in the literature,and explored the practical application in the process of historical reconstruction.In the academic intellectual history after Southern Song period,whether Wang Maohong was treated as a scholar who firmly adhered to the studies of Cheng and Zhu,the authority of studying and explaining the studies of Song and Ming,or the forerunner of Yangzhou school????,all based on specified aspects of Wang Maohong's academic thought.Siku Quanshu Zongmu??????praised the Chronicle of Zhu Zi,ultimately,because of its success in shaping Zhu Xi's ideal and it was precisely in line with the academic presuppositions of scholars in the study of Qian Jia,and to some extent,it also dissolves the tension between the study of the neo-confucianism and classics.Similarly,after Wang Maohong's death,his academic contributions were heavily regarded by Qian DaXin???,Wang Mingsheng???,Zhao Yi??,Weng Fanggang???,Ruan Yuan??,Yu Yue??,Chen Li??,and others.In modern times,Tang Wenzhi???,Liang Qichao???,Hu Shi??,Qian Mu??and other scholars have highly praised Wang Hao when discussing the history of Zhu Zi's studies as well as the academic history of the Qing Dynasty.As far as the theory of sociology of knowledge is concerned,the image ofWang Maohong experiencing the process of“reproduction”.With the studies and discussions of later scholars,Wang Maohong's image changed from an isolated confucian to a figure who was discussed by scholars with enthusiasm,which demonstrated the profound implications of Wang Maohong's academic thought after the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns.