Study On Niu Yunzhen’s Confucian Classics

Niu Yunzhen was a well-known scholar in the early Qing dynasty,famous for his excellent knowledge of history and classics.The academic research on Niu Yunzhen focuses on his life,official administration and historical achievements,and the study of Confucian classics is relatively weak.The previous works of Confucian classics received much attention is "Mencius Commentary".In view of the detailed and comprehensive research on this book,this paper will not discuss it."University Note" and "Mean Note" have not been published and cannot be studied.Therefore,this paper takes "Zhou Yi Jie" "Shang Shu Commentary" "Shi Zhi" "Chun Qiu Zhuan" "Analects of Confucius Essays" as the research object,and analyzes the original literature by citing,comprehensively presenting Niu Yunzhen’s academic methods,Confucian thoughts and academic contributions.The thesis is composed of introduction,six chapters and conclusion.In the introduction part,the research status of Niu Yunzhen is reviewed,which is divided into five sections: life,history,Jin Shi,poetry and classics.The previous achievements of Niu Yunzhen research are reviewed,and the research status of Niu Yunzhen in the academic circle is revealed.Finally,the research content and significance of the method are introduced.The first chapter is the Niu Yunzhen’s life,friends and an overview of the classics.Biographical aspects are introduced in three stages,early study and imperial examination in turn,ten years as an official,dismissed from office teaching.In terms of making friends,according to the acquaintance time,it can be roughly divided into four periods: staying at home,going to the imperial examination,Gansu official period and returning home.In terms of the overview of classics,focusing on the content and style,the process of making books,the version and the existence and loss of Niu Yunzhen’s classics are introduced one by one,so as to present the basic picture of his classics.The second chapter is Niu Yunzhen’s study of "Zhou Yi Jie".This chapter mainly studies the content and style of the book,the method of taking images and the solution of litigious problems.In terms of content and style,Niu Yunzhen indicates the annotation content directly,does not contain the original text and interprets the text according to the way to clarify the image.In terms of image selection methods,it draws on the core of Mao Qiling’s theory of shifting from one place to another,and the theory of coming to know the complex virtues.It mainly selects the method of shifting from one place to another,and interprets the hexagrams and lines,highlighting the trend of revival of the "Zhou Yi" in the Han Dynasty.Regarding the issue of litigation,Niu Yunzhen focused on starting from the text of the classics,using three methods: taking the classics as evidence,taking the gist of the classics as the evaluation criteria,and summarizing the examples of the “Zhou Yi” to evaluate the merits of the theory to resolve the ambiguity of words and clear up the ambiguity of the broken sentences,reflecting a distinct tendency to respect the classics.The third chapter is Niu Yunzhen’s study of "Shang Shu Commentary".Niu Yunzhen’s study of Shang Shu Commentary shows the characteristics of integrating the annotation of classics with the appreciation of literature.In terms of Confucian classics,He believed in scriptures,and had many difficulties in refuting the doubts and modifications in Cai Shen’s "Book Collection Biography".He believed that "Ancient Wen Shang Shu" was true,but he did not blindly follow it.He questioned the textual division of "Shun Dian","Yi Ji",and "Emperor Kang Zhi Gao".In literature,Niu Yunzhen appreciated "Shang Shu" from the perspectives of understanding the beauty of language,clarifying the textual structure,and tracing the relationship between the literary genres of later generations and the origin of "Shang Shu",revealing its literary value.The fourth chapter is Niu Yunzhen’s "Shi Zhi" study.The Confucian study of Niu Yunzhen’s "Shi Zhi" is reflected in pointing out some errors in the annotation of words by predecessors,determining the identity of the author of each chapter of the "Book of Songs",and analyzing the main ideas of poetry.He proposed the viewpoint of judging the identity of the author based on the emotions and special words in poetry,believed in the style of Fu Bi Xing marked in "Mao Zhuan",praised the theory of beauty and satire in "Xiao Xu",interpreted the theme of poetry from the perspective of political enlightenment,and reflected the tendency of understanding the Confucian classics of the patriarchal order of Zong Mao.The fifth chapter is the study of Niu Yunzhen’s "Chuan Qiu Zhuan".Niu Yunzhen believed that the "Spring and Autumn Annals" was written by Confucius based on the historical records of the State of Lu,adhering to the system of reporting directly to the court,and believed that the "Spring and Autumn Annals" lacked detailed characteristics,and there was no "sun and moon time" example.He agreed with the traditional method of interpreting scriptures with meaning examples.By comparing the similarities and differences of scriptures,he summarized the examples of address,where words are used,and special words are used to interpret scriptures.Niu Yunzhen has various methods for interpreting “Spring and Autumn Annals”,citing three biographies and previous old theories,linking historical events,and pointing out that some scriptures were deliberately modified by Confucius to clarify the meaning of praise and derogation.Niu Yunzhen’s interpretation reflects the distinct thought of respecting etiquette,king,monarch,and people.The sixth chapter is the study of Niu Yunzhen’s "Analects of Confucius Essays".Niu Yunzhen’s "Analects of Confucius Essays",based on Zhu Zi’s "Commentary on the Analects of Confucius",further explains the concise interpretation of "Commentary on the Analects of Confucius" and supplements the basis.Based on the development of "Ji Zhu",Niu Yunzhen focused on citing classics and history to elaborate the text,appreciating the expression effect of words,guiding the reading rules,clarifying the main theme and structure,and embodying a distinctive Neo-Confucianist color.Niu Yunzhen was an important scholar in Shandong Province in the early Qing Dynasty,who made great achievements in the study of Confucian classics.He focused on revealing the main meaning of the scriptures,evaluating the various theories of predecessors,without sectarian bias,absorbing the right,and correcting the wrong.He adhered to the principle of taking the scriptures as the criterion,presenting the characteristics of both Han and Song dynasties.Niu Yunzhen’s return to the Confucian classics of the Han and Tang dynasties in ideology and his admiration for the annotations and commentaries of the Han and Tang dynasties reflect the revival trend of the Confucian classics and maintain a synchronous development with the official mainstream Confucian classics.The characteristics and achievements of his Confucian studies are both personalized and contemporary,and their value cannot be ignored.