Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness

Lu Jiuyuan

Philosopher · Writer

Years: 1139–1193
Birthplace: China
Birth polity: Southern Song dynasty
Era: Medieval
Field: Philosophy
Occupations: Philosopher · Writer

A Confucian scholar from the Southern Song Dynasty who developed a philosophy that emphasized the heart. He preached internal moral awareness from a standpoint different from the science of Zhu Xi. It is an example of the diversity of Song studies. Changes in Confucian thought can also be seen.

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Historical context

Places

Jinxi
Birth
Xiangshan
Work

Works & achievements

Recorded Sayings of Lu Jiuyuan
Book

Events

development of Song Neo-Confucianism
c. 1170–c. 1193
Cultural event · Participant

Origins

Origins map

Birth country

Birth country: China

Map: Natural Earth (PD)

Biography

Early life

Born in Gangseo, he grew up in the world of imperial examinations and academia. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Shi Dafu was in charge of politics and education, and Song studies, which reconstituted Confucianism, were flourishing.

Achievements

Believing that reason exists in the human heart itself, he placed importance not only on accumulating knowledge from the outside, but also on inner self-awareness. He created a line of thought that led to Wang Yangming's psychology.

Character & anecdotes

He is known for his controversy with Zhu Xi, and although they both aimed to revive Confucianism, their methodologies differed greatly. Song studies were not monolithic and developed through tensions between schools of thought.

Historical Impact

When you study Lu Jiuyuan, you realize that how to understand ``principle'' in Chinese thought was a big problem. The genealogy of xinxing also influenced scholarship, political ethics, and Confucian culture in East Asia since the Ming dynasty. We can also see issues in the history of East Asian thought regarding the relationship between knowledge and cultivation.