Daxue And Neo-confucianism

Neo-confucianism, as a very important part of Chinese philosophy, has alwaysbeen an emphasis in the field of Chinese philosophy research. It continues thetradition of"Classics-researching"and explains many conceptions that originate fromthe Confucian Classics in a new way. On this basis, Neo-confucianism has finallyfounded its great thought system. Daxue is an important article whichNeo-confucianism depends on, especially the two doctrines in Daxue:"theInvestigation of Things"and"the Extension of Knowledge". They have becomecompatible ideas that are widely used by philosophers between Song and Mingdynasties.The significance of Daxue to Neo-confucianism is displayed through the idea of"the Investigation of Things and the Extension of Knowledge", which has greatlyenriched the epistemology of Neo-confucianism and the traditional morality theory ofConfucianism. This idea is a very important proposition that supports the thoughtsystem of Neo-confucianism. Both of the Cheng-Zhu academic and the Lu-Wangacademic have reformed it, then it becomes an argument focus that promotes thedevelopment of Neo-confucianism. This paper is structured around the correlationbetween Daxue and Neo-confucianism. By analyzing the thoughts of greatphilosophers during this period, such as"Er-Cheng", i.e. Chengyi and Chenghao,Zhuxi, Wangyangming, Lujiuyuan, Chenque and Wangfuzhi, and researching theimportant effect of"the Investigation of Things and the Extension of Knowledge", thepaper will verify Daxue's great significance to the development of Neo-confucianism.Furthermore, this paper also aims at displaying the evolution process ofNeo-confucianism and its spirit. Additionally, it hopes to deepen our understanding onConfucianism.