A Study Of Wang Tong’s Thought On Confucian Classics

In the history of Confucianism in the Sui and Tang dynasties,Wang Tong was a significant philosopher,and his ideas on the revitalization of Confucianism were mainly reflected in the continuation of the Six Classics.Although the Lasting Six Classics have been lost,his ten-volume version of the Yuanjing and the ten-volume version of the Zhongshuo are still in circulation.Through an in-depth examination of the relevant ideas and formulations in the Yuanjing and Zhongshuo,the overall style of Wang Tong’s philosophy can still be outlined,and the basic lineage of Confucianism in the late Sui and early Tang dynasties can be further sorted out,so as to understand the specific reasons for the shift in philosophy that occurred in the Sui and Tang dynasties.From the above-mentioned surviving documents of Wang Tong and the established research methods and purposes,this paper traces the origins of Wang Tong’s scholasticism,mainly based on the Zhongshuo,and argues that his thought on scripture is,to some extent,a continuation and implementation of Wang’s scholasticism.At the same time,it delves deeper into the ideas of righteousness contained in Wang Tong’s Yi,Shi,Shangshu,Rites,Music,the Spring and Autumn Annals,and Yuanjing.In this way,the basic features and overall position of Wang Tong’s scripture thought are summarized with the scriptures as the purpose and ultimately.By examining the origins of Wang Tong’s family studies,it is clear that his sutra thinking was profoundly influenced by his family traditions.Wang Tong’s Lasting Six Classics was inexperienced and gained from his sixth ancestor Wang Xuan’s "Treatise on the Changes of the Times;his ideas on ritual and music were guided by his fifth ancestor Wang Huan’s Five Classic Decisions;his Zan Yi and Lasting Six Classics followed his fourth ancestor Wang Qiu’s view of Yi and the ideas of The Great Treatise on Government;his grandfather Wang Yi’s The Honest Meaning of Huangji and his father’s The Essential Treatise on the Rise and Fall provided Wang Tong with references and references for the revision of the Yuanjing.On this basis,Wang Tong’s reverence for Lasting Six Classics,as well as the fundamental position of the outer king on the application of the world and the Confucian function of government and education contained in the Lasting Six Classics,can be concluded from a broad overview of Wang Tong’s scripture thought.In terms of the specific unfolding of the ideas of the Six Classics,Wang Tong’s sutra thought is also extremely rich and contains an overall sutra system.In the case of the Yijing,Wang emphasizes the "supreme" and "divine" way of Yi,and the "knowledge of the future" and "the righteousness of the time" of Yi.As regards the Book of Songs,Wang Tong pointed out that it could reveal the reasons for the rise and fall of the world and correct people’s heart and nature,and proposed the "Four Names" and "Five Wishes".As for the Shangshu,Wang pointed out that it was a continuation of the Book to clarify the way of the emperor,and attached importance to the meaning of the continuation of the Book in the "seven systems".For the study of Rites,Wang pointed out that the essence of Rites was "innocence" and "respect",and advocated that people should pay attention to the content rather than the form,and that the purpose of correcting Rites and music was to clarify the mistakes of the later kings,and emphasized the full development of the "Five Rites" of Rites.For the study of music,Wang Tong advocates the sound of elegant music,emphasizing that music can be used to harmonize with virtue and can support people’s hearts.Regarding the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Yuanjing,Wang Tong pointed out that through the Spring and Autumn Annals,the signs of right and wrong could be clarified,and that Wang Tong’s Yuanjing was to a certain extent a continuation of the Spring and Autumn Annals,in which the two were discussed side by side,with rewards and punishments and praise and criticism.In this way,Wang Tong’s philosophy of scripture can be seen in his approach to scripture,which is to seek scripture from tradition,to return to the original scripture,and to practice it.Through an in-depth examination of the above-mentioned style of Wang Tong’s philosophy of scripture,we can summarize the significance of Wang Tong’s scripture thought in the perspective of the history of scripture.The two main points are as follows: First,he started the precedent of renovating the old classics.It was through his efforts that the scriptures were somehow renewed and changed,and in this respect provided more reference and guidance for later generations.Second,Wang Tong implemented the tradition of Confucius’ work on the Six Classics in scripture.When he wrote the Lasting Six Classics,he renewed the old spirit of the Six Classics to create a new system of sutra texts,with the aim of realizing the king’s way and education through the iteration of classical texts.An in-depth study of Wang Tong’s thought on scripture points out and greatly recognizes his important breakthrough contribution to Han and Jin scripture.He was also instrumental in advancing the transformation of scripture in the Sui and Tang dynasties,emphasizing his unique and important position in the history of the development of scripture in China as a whole,which will be beneficial to the continued study of scripture in the Sui and Tang dynasties.