Title

Li Guangdi’s Interpretation of the Great Learning

Author

Shen Zusheng

Genre

Article

Pages

245-274

DOI

10.6503/THJCS.202306_53(2).0002

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

Li Guangdi 李光地, the ancient text of the Great Learning, zhizhi 知止, sincerity of the will, self-cultivation

Abstract

Wang Yangming’s 王陽明 (1472-1529) philosophy (xinxue 心學) is generally considered to have posed a threat to Zhu Xi’s 朱熹 (1130-1200) commentary on the Great Learning (Daxue 大學) with respect to issues concerning the text and its interpretation. In an effort to save Zhu Xi’s commentary from Wang Yangming’s criticism, Li Guangdi 李光地 (1642-1718) attempted to follow Zhu’s guidelines in his interpretation of the Great Learning, while at the same time not altering the chapter order of the text. He argued that knowing the root and being sincere were the pivotal points of the Great Learning, and that the practice and cultivation of what is learned were all derived from these two notions and their implications. He also based the work of establishing the foundation on the sincerity of the will. By identifying the “will” as the master of the mind, Li Guangdi gave a new interpretation of sincerity that differed from that advanced by both Zhu Xi and Wang Yangming. From the perspective of the text’s structure, Li Guangdi avoided the problem of adding supplemental passages to the chapter “Gezhi 格致” in the Great Learning and instead explained the meaning of gezhi within its original textual context. From the perspective of philosophical argument, Li Guangdi improved upon Zhu Xi’s interpretation of “knowledge” by asserting that “knowledge” is the beginning of establishing the will, which turned knowledge, or zhizhi 知止, into the starting point of moral cultivation. This process of reconciliation is understood to be fundamentally critical to Li Guangdi’s interpretation of the Great Learning.