Zhu Xi: Basic Teachings

Zhu Xi (1130–1200) was the preeminent Confucian thinker of the Song dynasty (960–1279). His teachings profoundly influenced China, where for centuries after his death they formed the basis of the country’s educational system. In Korea, Japan, and Vietnam as well, elites embraced his inspired and authoritative synthesis of Confucian thought. In Zhu’s eyes, the great Way of China was in decline, with its very survival threatened by external enemies and internal moral weakness. In his writings and teaching, Zhu took as his mission the revival of the Confucian tradition, the source of China’s greatness, and its transmission to future generations. For him, restoring Confucianism to its rightful place required drawing on the tradition’s whole sweep, from the sacred texts of the sages and worthies of antiquity to the more recent writings of the great thinkers of the tenth and eleventh centuries. This book presents the essential teachings of the new Confucian (“Neo-Confucian”) philosophical system that Zhu Xi forged, providing a concise introduction to one of the most important figures in the history of Chinese thought. It offers selections from the Classified Conversations of Master Zhu (Zhuzi yulei), a lengthy collection of Zhu’s conversations with disciples. In these texts, Zhu Xi reflects on the Confucian teachings of the past, revising and refining his understanding of them and shaping that understanding into a cohesive system of thought. Daniel K. Gardner’s translation renders these discussions and sayings in a conversational style that is accessible to new and more advanced readers alike.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Notes on the Text and Translation 1. Foundations of the Universe 2. Human Beings 3. Learning 4. A Theory of Reading 5. Moral Self-Cultivation Glossary Notes Works Cited Index

About the Author :
Daniel K. Gardner is Dwight W. Morrow Professor Emeritus of History at Smith College. His many books include Learning to Be a Sage: Selections from the Conversations of Master Chu, Arranged Topically (1990), Zhu Xi’s Reading of the Analects: Canon, Commentary, and the Classical Tradition (2003), and Confucianism: A Very Short Introduction (2014).

Review :
Gardner, the foremost interpreter of Zhu Xi in America, strikes a perfect balance between translation and explication: he takes the reader through a nuanced reading of key passages from Zhu’s voluminous oeuvre, supplying at just the right points explanations of concepts and contexts. A superb resource for students of China, in the classroom and beyond. With introductions succinctly explaining why and how the philosopher reshaped the Confucian tradition and what his basic and most enduring teachings are about, this volume is an elegant translation of passages carefully selected and thematically arranged to convey the central message of Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism. As an eminent scholar in the field, Gardner has successfully rendered its profundity not only more intelligible to students but also readily accessible to the public. Zhu Xi: Basic Teachings is an excellent introduction to Neo-Confucianism as synthesized by its most influential proponent. Building on his earlier publications and translations, Daniel Gardner has given us highly accessible translations and explanations of Zhu Xi's work while preserving the style and voice of this central figure in East Asian thought. Daniel Gardner gives us an excellent guide to Zhu Xi’s ideas on a broad range of topics that concerned him. By drawing materials largely from Zhu’s conversations with students, Gardner often lets us see Zhu thinking on his feet in response to questions, offering fascinating insights into an important mind at work. These writings of Zhu Xi’s will be extraordinarily useful for a wide audience, including general readers. A volume like this for Song Neo-Confucianism is long past due. Superbly translated. This is a book of which at least one copy should be on the shelves of every university library. It is the book I would recommend to any student who would ask for a short introduction to Zhu Xi’s philosophy and thought. It is a little masterpiece. An ideal resource for classes on Confucianism and East Asian religions. Gardner’s translations from the Zhuzi yulei constitute a most welcome contribution on the study of so-called Neo-Confucianism and the man and his work that informed this philosophical system that still reverberates through contemporary Chinese discourses. The present volume is a high-quality translation, and we can feel that Gardner is very familiar with Zhu Xi. It serves as very good introduction into Zhu Xi’s basic philosophical thought.