Dai Zhen

Dai Zhen

Dai Zhen (from January 19, 1724 to July 1, 1777) was a philosopher, thinker, textual research scientist and Confucian scholar in the Qing Dynasty. His name was Dongyuan and Shenxiu, and his name was Gaoxi.

Dai Zhen studied with Jiang Yong, a scholar in the same county in his early years, and later wrote many works at home. In 1754, Qianlong took refuge in Beijing. After entering huitianmu of Qin Dynasty, he compiled the general examination of five rites, which is famous in the capital. Qianlong 27 years (1762), the winner, after repeatedly participated in the examination failed. In the 34th year of Qianlong (1769), he was employed to revise the records of Fenzhou Prefecture. Qianlong 36 years (1771), repair "Fenyang county.". In 1773, he was called as the editor of Sikuquanshu. In the 40th year of Qianlong's reign (1775), because of his outstanding academic achievements, he was specially assigned to attend the palace examination and was granted the Jinshi background. In 1777, he died in Beijing at the age of 55.

Dai Zhen has a wide range of academic achievements in astronomy, mathematics, history, geography, phonology, writing, exegesis and so on. He will promote the development of textual research and pioneer the field of modern science. He is one of the representatives of "Qian Jia school" and a master of Anhui studies. Furthermore, it clarifies the theory of justice with the materialist view of reason and criticizes the Neo Confucianist's theory of "removing human desires and preserving natural justice". His Mencius Zi Yi Shu Zheng strongly criticized Cheng Zhu's Neo Confucianism, which had a profound impact on the later academic trend of thought. His progressive ethical thought has enlightening guiding function to the modern capitalist thinkers such as Liang Qichao and Zhang Taiyan. His works include textual research on Mao Zheng's poems, textual research on Mencius' characters, textual research on phonology, notes on Dai's water classic, notes on kaogong's works and notes on Gougu Jieyuan, etc. Later generations turned his work into Dai's posthumous letter.

(general picture source: the statue of Dai Zhen is taken from the second episode of biography of scholars in Qing Dynasty, edited by Ye gongchuo and painted by Yang pengqiu)

Life of the characters

Study in early years

Dai Zhen was born on December 13, the first year of Yongzheng (January 19, 1724) in longfu, Xiuning County, Huizhou Prefecture, Anhui Province. It is said that his father named him "Zhen" because of the thunder on the day of his birth. Dai Zhen's father, Dai Bian, was a cloth merchant. He had a small business in Nanfeng, Jiangxi Province and could only live from hand to mouth.

Dai Zhen was very intelligent since he was a child. At the age of ten, he read thousands of words every day. At the age of seventeen, he learned Shuowen Jiezi to achieve his goal.

Famous teachers teach students

In 1740, Dai Zhen, 18 years old, lived with his father in Nanfeng, Jiangxi Province, and studied in Shaowu, Fujian Province. During this period, Tongli Chengxun attached great importance to him.

In 1742, in order to satisfy his son's thirst for knowledge, Dai Bian and Dai Zhen went to Jiangning to meet Dai Han. Dai Han is a contemporary writer, not Dai Zhen's teacher. Soon after, Dai Zhen met phonologist Jiang Yong. At that time, Wang Wufeng, a businessman in Shexian County, founded Bu Su garden, widely bought books and solicited scholars. Dai Zhen, Zheng mu, Wang Zhaolong, Cheng JinFang, Jin Bang and Jiang Yong all read in it. Jiangyong is proficient in Sanli, astronomy, geography, arithmetic and phonology. Only Dai Zhen can master all his knowledge.

After that, Dai Zhen made great progress in his academic research, especially in the study of planning, naming and exegesis, and put forward many unprecedented theories. A few years later, Dai Zhen successively wrote "planning" (1744), "Kao Gong Ji Tu Zhu" (1746), "Gou Gu Ge Huan Ji" (1755), etc., all of which belong to natural science works. He also wrote on six books, research on Erya characters (1747), notes on Qu Yuan's Fu (1752) and supplementary biography of Poetry (1748).

Famous in Beijing

In the 19th year of Qianlong (1754), the powerful of the Dai family occupied Dai Zhen's ancestral grave. He had no choice but to sue. However, the powerful bribed the county magistrate, colluded with the superior and the subordinate, and falsely accused Dai Zhen of being guilty. In order to avoid persecution, he took refuge in Beijing. Without food and clothing, Dai Zhen had to stay in Shexian guild hall in the capital. One day, Dai Zhen paid a visit to Qian Daxin. On learning, Qian Daxin sighed: "it's really a genius in the world." At that time, Qin Huitian, the Minister of rites, compiled the general examination of five rites in order to find someone who was proficient in astronomy and calendar. Qian Daxin immediately recommended Dai Zhen. Qin Huitian immediately ordered him to visit, and later invited him to teach time service in the mansion. At that time, Ji Yun, Wang Chang, Wang Mingsheng, Zhu Yun and other celebrities heard that Dai Zhen was coming and made friends with him one after another. At the same time, his Gougu Jieyuan Ji was published in full by Qin Huitian, while KAOGONGJI Tu Zhu was printed by Ji Yun, which made Dai Zhen famous in the capital.

In 1756, Dai Zhen taught his son Wang Niansun at the home of Wang Anguo, the Minister of the Ministry of officials. Wang Niansun and Duan Yucai became Dai Zhen's two most famous students.

In 1757, Wang Anguo died. Dai Zhen went down from Beijing and met Huidong in the Department of Lu Jianzeng, the salt transportation envoy of Lianghuai in Yangzhou. Huidong is a master of Wu school, and Dai Zhen is a master of Wan school. After meeting Huidong, Dai Zhen began to attach importance to Wu school's academic thoughts and achievements, and expanded his academic vision.

The imperial examination didn't go well

In 1765, when Dai Zhen failed in the imperial examination, he went to Ruizhou, Jiangxi Province (now Gaoan County in Jiangxi Province), where he wrote the inscription of Fengyi academy and put forward the theory of applying the classics to practice.

In 1768, Dai Zhen was appointed by the governor of Zhili, Fang Guancheng, and went to Baoding, Hebei Province to compile the Zhili River and canal book. Later, Guan Cheng died. Yang tingzhang, who took over his post, was unable to respect Dai Zhen, so Dai Zhen left Baoding. After Zhou Yuanli became governor of Zhili, his manuscripts were collected by him.

In the 34th year of Qianlong reign (1769), Dai Zhen failed in the examination and went to the west of the mountain to send his political envoy Zhu Yi, who was employed to revise the records of Fenzhou Prefecture.

In the 36th year of Qianlong (1771), Dai Zhen was not in the first place, and he compiled the annals of Fenyang County in Shanxi Province.

In 1772, Dai Zhen came to Beijing from Fenyang and failed in the examination. He went to East Zhejiang to lecture on Jinhua Academy. In the same year, he wrote the first draft of Mencius character Yi Shu Zheng, introduction.

The end of learning

In the autumn of 1773, Yu Minzhong, the president of Siku Quanshu library, followed the advice of Ji Yun, the chief editor, and Qiu Rixiu, the Minister of punishment, and recommended Dai Zhen to Emperor Qianlong. So Emperor Qianlong specially ordered Dai Zhen to be the editor of Siku Library in Beijing. In the same year, Dai Zhen failed in the sixth examination. Because of his reputation, Dai Zhen was able to take part in the palace examination the following year, and was granted the Jinshi family background as an imperial scholar.

Dai Zhen was mainly responsible for the collation of books on astronomy, geography, arithmetic and language during his compilation in Siku Quanshu library. He made full use of the book collection conditions, carefully studied and made every effort. He compiled three volumes of Yili shicuo from Yongle Dadian, and divided Yili Jishi into thirty volumes. The nine chapters of arithmetic, the island Suanjing, the Sunzi Suanjing, the wucao Suanjing, and the xiahouyang Suanjing can be found in the Yongle Dadian, which was compiled by Dai Zhen and included in the complete works of Siku, and the synopsis of each part was written. Dai Zhen summed up three principles in collating shuijingzhu, namely, correcting the classics and annotating them. The school was praised by Emperor Qianlong.

In 1776, Dai Zhen criticized Neo Confucianism in his book Mencius characters, which was criticized by his colleagues. His friends Weng Fanggang and Cheng JinFang criticized him by writing Li Shuo and Zheng Xue Lun respectively, and Peng Shaosheng wrote a long letter of more than 2000 words to refute his views.

On May 27, 1777 (July 1, 1777), Dai Zhen died at the age of 55 in YingYuan, Fan family, west of Chongwen gate, Beijing. After Dai Zhen's death, his primary school was passed on by Wang Niansun and Duan Yucai; arithmetic was passed on by Kong Guangsen; canon was passed on by Ren Dachun; Dai's learning was carried forward.

Main impact

Confucian classics

Dai Zhen's Qijing Xiaoji is a masterpiece of his study of Confucian classics. From Mencius Zi Yi Shu Zheng, we can see that the ultimate purpose of writing Qi Jing Xiao Ji is to change the study of Confucian classics into a new era philosophy or Neo Confucianism. Dai Zhen's inheritance, transformation and innovation of Chinese traditional culture are completely reflected in the seven classics.

Since the purpose of Qijing Xiaoji is to cure the meridians, the first thing is to consolidate the foundation and open the way. In order to get a better understanding of the internal structure of Qijing Xiaoji, we should start with the natural sciences such as language, astronomy, calendar and so on. There are the exegesis chapter, the original image chapter and the general theory of Zhouli and Yili《 The book of rites, the book of rites, the book of Dadai, the book of rites, the book of learning rites, the book of geography, the book of water and earth, and the book of Yuanshan, which explores human feelings. From the perspective of internal structure, qijingxiaoji is a textbook of Confucian classics methodology, or "Confucian classics". If we call it "an introduction to the study of Confucian classics", we can say it is light and its content is deep. In a word, the ultimate goal and methodology of this book is to enter the room. Dai Zhen became the initiator of the study of Confucian classics in the past dynasties.

Although qijingxiaoji takes the classics as the object, it deeply embodies Gu Yanwu's progressive academic thought of "Neo Confucianism is Confucian classics". Centering on the discussion of ancient classics, it has made unique and complete achievements in a series of important fields, forming an independent scientific thought and philosophical world outlook. Such as philology, natural science, philology, history and geography, philosophy and so on. Although not all of the seven classics were successful, Dai Zhen's Thoughts on governing the classics have been elucidated elsewhere. For example, some of the synopsis of the classics in the general catalogue of Sikuquanshu are written by Dai Zhen,

Chinese PinYin : Dai Zhen