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1
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Reexamining “the Jinsilu as the Ladder to the Four Books”
Following Zhu Xi’s death, his statement, “The Four Books serve as the ladder to the Six Classics; the Jinsilu (Reflections on Things at Hand) serves as the ladder to the Four Books,” as recorded by Chen Chun, led to considerable dispute among his students. Huang Gan, for instance, expressed doubts about the interpretation of Zhu’s statement and argued that it did not align with Zhu’s philosophical thought. In recent years, numerous scholars have revisited this issue; however, interpretations remain diverse and inconclusive, primarily due to differing interpretations of the “sih xih (四子)”—some equate it with The Four Books, while others associate it with the Four Masters of the Northern Song. While Zhu’s statement was recorded as a quote in Chen’s writing, similar ideas can be found in Zhu’s other works; therefore, Chen’s interpretation of the quote should be seen as the first and foremost valid argument regarding Zhu’s thought. Moreover, the divergent views between Chen and Huang stem from Huang’s emphasis on the Great Learning (Daxue) as the foundation and unshakable principle for the path to academic Confucianism. Chen, however, contended that the key to understanding the puzzle of long periods without Confucius-Mencius sages should be analyzed through the wisdom apprehended by the Four Masters; additionally, the Jinsilu should be considered as an introduction to the practice of Confucianism, which serves as the access to the Way. Asserting that Zhu’s Four Books of Notes to Sentences represents a comprehensive compilation that features both the practice of Confucianism and academic Confucianism, this article sheds light on the disputes between Chen and Huang as attempt to bring insight into a deeper understanding of Zhu’s views on the beginner’s Confucian approach to the Way.
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Chien, I-kuang
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2
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Fang Yizhi’s Encounter with and Reflection on Western Astronomy and the Significance of His Thoughts during the Ming-Qing Transition
During the late Ming dynasty, Fang Yizhi had extensive contact with Catholic missionaries and exhibited a strong interest in the astronomical knowledge introduced from the West. While eagerly embracing new knowledge, Fang maintained the capacity for critical thinking and self-reflection. When considering the medieval European theories that blended astronomy and theology, Fang employed verification-based calculations to challenge the theories and data disseminated by Matteo Ricci and his colleagues. When Fang encountered new paradigms developed by scholars of the European Scientific Revolution, such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe, he appreciated their scientific merits and incorporated their theories into his own study of object-observation (“Zhi ce”). To investigate the transformations of old and new visual representations of the cosmos from both Eastern and Western perspectives in the 17th century, as well as to inspect the dissemination and interpretative models of new doctrines during the Ming dynasty of China, this paper begins by examining Fang’s learning process of Western knowledge and then proceeds to investigate Fang’s evaluations of various cosmological discourses, including the concept of Spherical Earth, the model of crystalline celestial spheres, the theory of Guangfei Yingshou, the Three-Region Theory, and the Theory of the Four Primordial Elements. This research deepens our understanding of the changes in Fang’s cosmological views and the significance of his thoughts in the history of ideas and technology during the Ming-Qing transition.
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Lee, Chung-ta
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3
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Discourses and Debates on Zen between the Rinzai and Sōtō Schools in Modern Japan: Based on the Investigations of Zendo and Darumazen
This article analyzes the debates over Zen between the Rinzai (臨濟) and Sōtō (曹洞) schools in modern Japan by closely investigating the journals of Zendo (禪道) and Darumazen (達磨禪). To contextualize the origins of these debates, the second section of this paper first outlines the global religious landscape prior to the widespread reception of Biyanlu (碧巖錄) and explores prominent historical events such as the publication of Buddha’s biography, the Dalit Buddhist movement in Southern India, and the World’s Parliament of Religions of 1893. During this period, the schools of Zen in Japanese academia recognized the need to publish a central and canonical religious text; hence, robust interpretations and discourses proceeded to be presented in Biyanlu. Sections three and four of this article will focus on the doctrinal contentions among various Zen schools in the modern era, particularly centering on the hermeneutical debates on Zen between the Rinzai and Sōtō schools as reflected in their institutional journals, Zendo and Darumazen. These debates encompass interpretations of Zen doctrine, the interpretations of kōan in Biyanlu, and an exploration of the differing stylistic tendencies of each school’s Zen position, as well as the significance of critical Zen scholarship during this period.
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Chang, Kun-chiang
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4
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“Jí” and “Yǔ” in the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Zuo Commentary
This article reinterprets the semantic functions of “jí” (及) and “yǔ” (與) in the Spring and Autumn Annals and the Zuo Commentary. Through an examination of writing conventions and various linguistic constructions, this article argues that “yǔ,” when used as a preposition, functions to introduce co-participants—the referent of the other party involved in contextual actions or the party that jointly performs the action. As a conjunction, “yǔ” is coordinated to mark different categories. On the other hand, “jí” is primarily a conjunction that simultaneously marks different categories and denotes sequentiality. The conjunctions of “jí” and “yǔ” exhibit distinct linguistic functions due to their different etymological origins, In addition, this article provides insights into the distribution and arrangement of “jí” and “yǔ” in ancient texts.
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Yew, Boon-hock
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5
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Χάρις in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War
This paper examines the meaning of χάρις in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. χάρις is a technical term that describes the important relationships the ancient Greeks could choose to build when developing city-states diplomacy as well as interpersonal and cross-societal interactions. However, the relationships that χάρις characterizes have not yet received signigicant scholarly attention. As such, this article presents and explores five main features of χάρις. Firstly, χάρις is a proper noun that indicates a specific reciprocal relationship between the benefactor and the beneficiary. Secondly, the inequality inherent in χάρις between the benefactor and the beneficiary is temporary rather than absolute and permanent. Thirdly, while χάρις encompasses both positive and negative reciprocities, it emphasizes disputes over justice, the common good, and unrighteousness. Fourthly, the notion of trust and credibility in χάρις is more important and more critical as compared to other reciprocal relationships. Lastly, the term χάρις is negatively perceived in the domestic affairs of Athens when its inequality contradicts the equalitarian principle of Athenian Democracy. This paper explicates the complex forms of interactions from multiple χάρις-relations and argues that the ancient Greeks’ proficiency in manipulating the set of rules of χάρις results in their pursuit of best interests.
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Ng, Chun-liong
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