Liu Yuanqing

Liu Yuanqing

Liu Yuanqing (1544-1609) was born in Xixiang, Anfu county, Ji'an Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. Ming Dynasty famous Neo Confucianist, educator, writer. He is one of the "four gentlemen of Jiangyou", a great master in the later period of King Jiangyou. He has made great achievements in the fields of Neo Confucianism, education and literature. He has a lot of works, including the complete works of Liu Bingjun, and his fable collection Xianyi Bian is included in the "complete works of Siku".

Personal experience

Liu Yuanqing was born in Xixiang, Anfu county (now Lianhua County, Pingxiang City) in Ji'an Prefecture, Jiangxi Province. He studied hard since he was a child. He won the first place in Jiangxi provincial examination in the fourth year of Longqing (1570). Later, on the recommendation of others, he took a letter to the imperial court and a paper to participate in the examination. However, he failed to obtain the record because he "confessed to Zhang Juzheng when he was injured by five strategies" and nearly died. In 1572, he founded Fuli Academy. In the second year of Wanli (1574), he took part in the examination again, but was not accepted. So he abandoned his fame and went back to his hometown to study Neo Confucianism. In the seventh year of Wanli (1579 AD), the Ming Shenzong imperial edict destroyed the academies, and most academies in China were forced to close down. Liu Yuanqing changed the name of Fuli academy to "Wugu Temple" and still gathered people to give lectures. Later, the ban on learning was lifted, and Fuli academy regained its original name. Since then, it has become more and more famous. Fuli academy has strict academic rules and good quality of education, so that people with lofty ideals from Hunan, Hubei and other provinces come here to study. Scholars at home admire Liu Yuanqing's knowledge very much and call him "a great master". Liu Yuanqing also founded the academies of Zhiren, Zhongdao and Yide. Up to now, he was as famous as Wu kangzhai, Deng qiangu and Zhang Benqing, who were famous in the province at that time. With the expansion of popularity, many officials wrote to the court many times to recommend Liu Yuanqing, saying that Liu Yuanqing was "a man with lofty ideals and integrity, and a man of great virtue". The emperor attached great importance to him and granted him the titles of "Guozi doctor" and "jiechengde Lang". He specially ordered Liu Yuanqing to be an official in the capital. However, Liu Yuanqing gave lectures carefully and refused to be an official. Later, the emperor sent another officer to urge him to take office. Liu Yuanqing refused again and again, so he had to be called to Beijing. Soon, he was promoted to the head of the Ministry of rites. During his three years in the dynasty, he put forward many measures in favor of the feudal dynasty. In the book "please hold the imperial court to talk about Shu", "control the tribute officials" and "Zhichen yuwo's first task", he expounded his political views, which were very beneficial to abolishing the bad government, stabilizing the border and resisting foreign aggression. Unfortunately, Liu Yuanqing's political views were not accepted by the emperor, so he said he was ill and left home.

evaluate

Liu Yuanqing, known as "Mr. Zhengxue", devoted his whole life to Neo Confucianism from weak crown to old age. According to the case of Confucianism in the Ming Dynasty, "when you first visited Qingyuan mountain, you heard that Qingyuan was also the place of poetry and calligraphy. Since the two sons of Zou (Rumei, Ruxian, the son of Zou Shouyi) came here, this trend has ceased. I agree with you. When they talked about learning with him, they felt indignant and sentimental. As a result, it is impossible to obtain the quotations of the ancient scholars. " From then on, Liu Yuanqing was interested in Wang Shouren's Neo Confucianism. He began to study in the local area, but he didn't get much, so he left his hometown and became a teacher. He has been to Zhejiang, Hubei and other places to worship the master as a teacher. After his own efforts, he became an important figure of the school. Liu Yuanqing not only absorbed the advantages of others, but also insisted on his own opinions. He took "keeping the noumenon and doing everything" as his life's principle of words and deeds. He did not believe in Taoism or Buddhism. Just as he said in "Xiaoyin zizan": "if you don't respect Sakyamuni, you don't envy Wang Qiao. The reason why Lu Xiao is Lu Xiao is that Lu Xiao stops at Lu Xiao." Liu Yuanqing's Neo Confucianism plays an important role in the school of jiangyouwangmen. After the death of Liu Yuanqing, the history of the Ming Dynasty established a biography for him. Zou yuanbiao, a famous personage of the Ming Dynasty, wrote an epitaph for him, praising him for his "lingering charm and being a teacher for a hundred generations".

Honor and works

Liu Yuanqing is a neo Confucianist, educator and writer. He covers a wide range of subjects, including politics, economy, philosophy, astronomy, geography, literature and art. So his works are more and more abundant. According to Jiangxi Tongzhi, his books include the new edition of the University, shanjucao, huanshanxucao, tongjianzuyao, Liujian, zhuconfucian cases, xianyibian, liupijun's complete works, etc. his fable collection xianyibian is well-known and once included in the collection of books.

Chinese PinYin : Liu Yuan Qing