Author Archive

Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi (1130–1200) was a leading Song Dynasty philosopher who synthesized and systematized Confucian thought into what became known as Neo-Confucianism. His major works, including Reflections on Things at Hand and his commentaries on the Four Books (the Analects , Mencius , Great Learning , and Doctrine of the Mean ), established the orthodox interpretation of Confucianism for centuries. He is best known for developing the concept of li (principle) and qi (material force) as the fundamental structure of reality, profoundly shaping East Asian intellectual history.

2 summaries in the archive