The Research on Debate between Huang Zong-Yi and Chen Chien-Chu
Author：Chia-He Tsai
Abstract /
The forum of debate between Huang Zong-Yi and Chen Chien-Chu is a major publicly known archive in the transformation of Philosophy during the last of Ming Dynasty and beginning of Ching Dynasty. It also represents the beginning of the transformation of the Confucian Learning of Song and Ming Dynasty transition to the practical Confucians of Ching Dynasty. In the studies by recent generations, they have either eye the thoughts of Chen Chien-Chu too much higher by thinking that the final years of thoughts of Huang Zong-Yi was changed by the effect from Chien-Chu or have eye the thoughts of Chien-Chu too much lower by thinking that it is equal to the tradition of born with Nature by Gau-Tze. Similarly, the studies by recent generations are also vague in defining the thoughts of Huang Zong-yi and can not give him a reasonable and pertinent status.
Many Scholars have used the four rewrites of Huang Zong-Yi on the Mu-Ze-Ming by Chen Chien-Chu as their subject of studies or to stand with the first three view points of Huang Zong-Yi criticizing Chen’s thoughts being “Desire oriented”. Or to use the view point of the fourth rewrites on Mu-Ze-Ming of Huang Zong-Yi to think that the thoughts of later years of Huang Zong-Yi has leaned toward Chen Chien-Chu.
I do not agree to that, my personal view point is that within the first three rewrites of Mu-Ze-Ming by Huang Zong-Yi he has misunderstood the thoughts of Chen Chien-Chu to think that Chien-Chu has denied the Confucians thoughts of Song and Ming Dynasty and become the tradition of later learning of Shun-Tze and Gau-Tze.
In the fourth rewrites of Mu-Ze-Ming, he then clearly sees the theory of justice of exertion and fulfillment in Chen’s thoughts. Therefore I will not criticize it, but it can also be seen that Chien-Chu’s thoughts were not from the authentic Gi-San Learning. It has his own set of upright theory of justice, nevertheless this is not likely to become the later learning of Shun-Tze and Gau-Tze and will not degrade to the fallen scholarship either.