12 Facts About Neo-Confucianism

1.

Neo-Confucianism is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty, and became prominent during the Song and Ming dynasties under the formulations of Zhu Xi .

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2.

Neo-Confucianism could have been an attempt to create a more rationalist and secular form of Confucianism by rejecting superstitious and mystical elements of Taoism and Buddhism that had influenced Confucianism during and after the Han dynasty.

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3.

Neo-Confucianism has its origins in the Tang dynasty; the Confucianist scholars Han Yu and Li Ao are seen as forebears of the neo-Confucianists of the Song dynasty.

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4.

Neo-Confucianism was both a revival of classical Confucianism updated to align with the social values of the Song dynasty and a reaction to the challenges of Buddhist and Taoist philosophy and religion which emerged during the Zhou and Han dynasties.

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5.

Neo-Confucianism was a rather prolific writer, maintaining and defending his Confucian beliefs of social harmony and proper personal conduct.

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6.

Neo-Confucianism believed that it was important to practical affairs that one should engage in both academic and philosophical pursuits, although his writings are concentrated more on issues of theoretical significance.

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7.

Neo-Confucianism is a social and ethical philosophy using metaphysical ideas, some borrowed from Taoism, as its framework.

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8.

Buddhism and Taoism asserted that existence came out of, and returned to, non-existence; Neo-Confucianism regarded reality as a gradual realization of the Great Ultimate.

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9.

Importance of li in Neo-Confucianism gave the movement its Chinese name, literally "The study of Li".

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10.

Neo-Confucianism was a heterogeneous philosophical tradition, and is generally categorized into two different schools.

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11.

Neo-Confucianism was introduced to Korea by An Hyang during the Goryeo dynasty.

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12.

Neo-Confucianism became the interpretation of Confucianism whose mastery was necessary to pass the bureaucratic examinations by the Ming, and continued in this way through the Qing dynasty until the end of the Imperial examination system in 1905.

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