The Significance of Shendu in the Interpretation of Classical Learning and Zhu Xi’s Misreading
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: According to recently excavated bamboo and silk material, the idea of du 獨 in the concept shendu 慎獨 does not refer to a spatial notion of dwelling in solitude or a solitary dwelling; rather it is the state before having made contact with external things, or the state “before feelings are aroused” ( weifa 未發) of the inner heart/mind. It refers to internal thoughts and volitions, or “casting aside external sensations” ( sheti 舍體). Shen 慎 should be glossed in accordance with the Erya 爾雅 (Approaching Elegance), rendering it as “sincerity” ( cheng 誠). Shendu then means to “cause one’s will to be sincere” ( chengqiyi 誠其意). Z heng Xuan 鄭玄, in explaining shendu as being “cautious of the actions one performs in private” ( shen qi xianju suowei 慎其閒居所為), completely strayed from the original meaning as found in the bamboo-silk texts. Z hu Xi 朱熹, seeing the insufficiencies of Z heng Xuan’s interpretation of shendu , broadened the meaning of du , and in particular added a spiritual meaning to it. However, due to influence by Z heng Xuan, Z hu Xi still preserved some misreadings of the term; especially in his interpretation of shendu in the Daxue 大學 (Great Learning) and Zhongyong 中庸 (Doctrine of the Mean). Considering that the Neo-Confucian methods of cultivation embodied in the ideas of “abiding in reverence and enriching the self” ( jujing hanyang 居敬涵養), and “being refined and focused” ( weijing weiyi 惟精惟一) actually accorded more with the original meaning of shendu , Z hu Xi’s misreading of shendu is indirectly related to the loss of its original meaning due to the broken transmission of the ancient texts.
Source: Dao
Author: Tao Liang
Institution: Renmin University of China
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,190
OpenAlex ID: W2078615447