Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi (1130-1200) was a famous thinker and Confucian philosopher of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). He was revered as Master Zhu by later generations. Developed on the basis of assimilating Buddhism and Daoism, Neo-Confucianism represents a new high water mark for ancient China’s philosophical research. The core issue of Neo-Confucianism is the relationship between the principles of heaven and human desires, principles and vital force, nature and emotions, and the Tao and the mind.

Zhu Xi put together Neo-Confucian theories developed in the Song Dynasty, systematically building on the achievements of other Neo-Confucianists to develop a huge and mature set of philosophical concepts, covering the study of the mind, the theory of principles and vital force, cosmology, historical philosophy, and the Zhu Xi school of thought. Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucianism emphasizes that the principles of heaven are the fundamental law that governs all things in the universe, and that the ultimate goal of self-cultivation is to align the mind with the principles of heaven. Zhu Xi’s philosophy began to spread to neighboring countries such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam in the 13th century and shaped the development of Confucianism in East Asia.

朱熹

朱熹（1130—1200），南宋时期著名的思想家、理学家，被后人尊称为“朱子”。理学是宋代儒者吸收佛教、道家思想而形成的一整套思想理论体系，是中国古代哲学的高峰。理学的核心问题是处理天理与人欲、理与气、性与情、道与心等之间的关系。

朱熹是宋代理学的集大成者，他系统总结了北宋理学的成果，建立了庞大而成熟的心性论、理气论、宇宙论、历史 哲学与朱子理学。朱熹的理学思想强调天理是支配宇宙万物 的根本法则与规律，人修养的最大目标就是使“心”与“理” 合一。朱熹的思想学说（“朱子学”）于13世纪初就开始传入朝鲜、日本及越南等国，对东亚儒学的发展产生了深远影响。