Zhu Zi's Theory on Improving One's Qi Zhi Through Learning
According to Confucianists of the Song Dynasty,gong fu(功夫,self-cultivation)of various kinds might all refer to improving one's qi zhi(气质,character and disposition).It is inevita-ble that the improvement of one's qi zhi through gong fu existed as a dominant part in the ideo-logical structure of the Neo-Confucianism of this dynasty.And it is safe to generalize that the concept of improving one's qi zhi was a holistic and inclusive concept in the theory of gong fu of the Neo-Confucianism,quite indispensable in terms of its ideological structure.This is par-ticularly prominent in Zhu Zi's thought.Examining the issue of improving one's qi zhi helps gain a deeper understanding of Zhu Zi and even the thought of qi(气,spirit,life essence)of the Neo-Confucianism.Inheriting Zhang Zai's idea of improving one's qi zhi,Zhu Zi empha-sized the importance of self-cultivation in the improvement of qi zhi.This was based on the premise of the theory of the original goodness of human nature in the Neo-Confucianism.The key to improving one's qi zhi lies in achieving what is highlighted as de sheng qi zhi(德胜气质,virtue triumphs over qi zhi)though learning,and the reason why people can have the pos-sibility to improve their qi zhi is that virtue cannot be concealed,and there will always be op-portunities for virtue to manifest itself.From the perspective of improving one's qi zhi through learning,understanding Zhu Zi's theory of gong fu reveals the importance of Dao xin(道心,literally Dao heart,referring to natural law and moral principles)and ren xin(人心,literally human heart,referring to human feeling and will)in Zhu Zi's theory of gong fu.People's qi zhi always present themselves in spiritual activities of some sorts,where the improvement of one's qi zhi must be achieved by making Dao xin prevalent and dominant through learning,thus improving one's qi zhi.
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