Videos by Keqian Xu
Lecture One: The “Axial Age” and the Pre-Qin Scholars
1.The historical background；
2.The rising o... more Lecture One: The “Axial Age” and the Pre-Qin Scholars
1.The historical background；
2.The rising of the “shi” class；
3.The classification of pre-Qin Schools； 148 views
1.The origin of Yin-Yang
2.The origin of “Five Xings(Five Elements)”
3.The mode of a dynamic cosm... more 1.The origin of Yin-Yang
2.The origin of “Five Xings(Five Elements)”
3.The mode of a dynamic cosmos constructed with Yin Yang and Five Xings
4.Zou Yan: the representative of Yin-Yang School in the Warring State period
5.The influences of Yin-Yang and Five Xings on Chinese culture 303 views
Papers in English by Keqian Xu
南京大学学报, 2024
“民主”与“选举”本是中国传统政治文化中的固有名词，有其特定的政治历史内涵，与我们今天通常理解的源自西方的民主、选举概念名实并不完全吻合。中国古代所谓“民主”的基本意涵，是指处于统治者之位，并能... more “民主”与“选举”本是中国传统政治文化中的固有名词，有其特定的政治历史内涵，与我们今天通常理解的源自西方的民主、选举概念名实并不完全吻合。中国古代所谓“民主”的基本意涵，是指处于统治者之位，并能为民做主的人，而所谓“选举”则是指通过推荐、考察、考试等方式挑选出有德有才的贤人来从政。但前人之所以用“民主”“选举”这两个中国固有名词来翻译西方现代政治中的民主、选举概念，则表明这两者之间并非毫无关系。西方现代民主、选举的政治理论可以映照出中国传统政治文化的缺陷；同样，从中国传统政治中“民主”“选举”理念出发，也可以反观西方当代民主、选举文化的弊端。或许中、西“民主”“选举”概念的视域融合，可以为我们探讨当代社会政治文明的发展提供某种启迪。
"Minzhu" and "xuanju" are inherent terms in Chinese traditional political culture, with their specific political and historical connotations, which are not completely consistent with the Western concepts of democracy and election that we usually understand today. The basic meaning of "minzhu" in ancient China refers to those who are in the position of ruler and can make decisions on behalf of the people. The so-called "xuanju" refers to the selection of virtuous and talented men for politics by means of recommendation, inspection and examination. However, the reason why our predecessors used these two Chinese words to translate the concepts of democracy and election in Western modern politics is that they are not unrelated at all. The western modern political theory of democracy and election can reflect the defects of Chinese traditional political culture. Similarly, from the concept of "minzhu" and "xuanju" in Chinese traditional politics, we can also see some malpractices in the Western contemporary democracy and election culture. Perhaps the fusion of Chinese and Western concepts of "minzhu-democracy" and "xuanju-election" can provide some enlightenment for the development of contemporary social and political civilization.
Springer, 2022
It was Zhuangzi who first introduced the concept of “zhen（true）” and revealed its important philo... more It was Zhuangzi who first introduced the concept of “zhen（true）” and revealed its important philosophical meanings in early Chinese philosophy. He also created other “zhen” related concepts, such as “zhen ren (true man)”, “zhen zhi (true knowledge)”, etc. In the Zhuangzi, “zhen” has the meaning of absolute truthfulness, but it also contains rich semantic meanings such as naturalness, primitiveness, simplicity, sincerity, etc. It is the opposite of anything artificial, and has a dimension of divinity towards the Daoist transcendental horizon of Heaven and Dao. “Zhen ren (true man)” represents the Daoist transcendent ideal personality and embodies the basic Daoist ideas and doctrines, such as keeping a life free from the corrupt social reality, conforming to the Dao and nature, being in a unity with the Heaven, etc. It is the highest level of horizon an individual can arrive at through Daoist personal cultivation. Zhuangzi also linked “zhen ren” with concept of “zhen zhi (true knowledge)”. But this “true knowledge” cannot be understood in the sense of western epistemology. For Zhuangzi, to acquire the “zhen zhi” means breaking through the boundary between Heaven and human and ascending to the transcendent level of existence of “zhen”.
Aumaruka: Journal of Conversational Thinking, 2022
Zhongdaology is the core of Chinese traditional Confucian philosophy. The zhongdaological way of ... more Zhongdaology is the core of Chinese traditional Confucian philosophy. The zhongdaological way of thinking represents the Chinese philosophical thinking mode, with Confucianism as the main body, and has deeply influenced many aspects of Chinese culture. It is different from the traditional ontological thinking in the West. However, for a long time, due to the influence of the dominant position of Western ontological thinking in the field of philosophical research, the characteristics of zhongdaological thinking have not been fully elaborated and promoted. This essay briefly exposes the historical origin of the doctrine of zhongdaology and its significance in Confucianism. Like the situation of traditional Chinese philosophy, African philosophy also has long been overshadowed and ignored by western philosophy to some extent. To this end, it can be safely stated that the dominance of western tradition is why the interaction between Chinese philosophy and African philosophy and other underrepresented philosophical traditions in the south have not taken firm roots. This essay makes some preliminary comparisons between Chinese Confucian zhongdaology with some African philosophical ideas such as Ezumezu and Ubuntu, etc., to show not only the significance of broader dialogue and exchange among different philosophical traditions in the south, but how zhongdaology itself could serve as a veritable framework for doing philosophy across borders.
International Journal of Arts, Humanities & Social Science(IJAHSS), 2021
It is an undeniable fact that China has basically succeeded in controlling the spread of the epid... more It is an undeniable fact that China has basically succeeded in controlling the spread of the epidemic in China in the first half of 2020. Behind this success there may be several reasons, among which the cultural factors have certainly played an important role. What kind of cultural values helped Chinese to combat the COVID-19 Epidemic? This paper attempts to discuss this issue by analysing some data from the newly released results in Wave 7 of the World Values Survey and combining with the study of Chinese cultural concepts. It finds that, generally speaking, Chinese culture is characterized with the following cultural spirits and values which are relevant to Chinese people's responding to the crisis of COVID-19 outbreak: the value of the supremacy of human life, believe in science rather than religion, the preference of the value of security over the value of freedom, the idea that the fate of an individual is inextricably linked to that of a group, nation, and humanity, and the spirit of trust and obedience to political leadership. At a time when humanity need to unite in the face of a major disaster such as the Covid-19 pandemic, these Chinese cultural values clearly have some advantages that deserve to be summarized and studied.
Nova Science Publishers, Inc. New York, 2019
The Daoist philosophy, especially as conceptualized by Master Zhuang Zhou within the Zhuangzi, ha... more The Daoist philosophy, especially as conceptualized by Master Zhuang Zhou within the Zhuangzi, has cultivated most of the unique traditional Chinese aesthetic tastes. The aesthetic view of the Zhuangzi is based on Zhuangzian philosophy, which emphasizes the naturalness of things. He suggests most beautiful things are those that naturally created by the Dao or naturally demonstrated. He also suggests a link between “truthfulness” and “beautifulness.” At the same time, Zhuang Zhou takes a suspicious view on the conventionally constructed standards or stereotypes of “beauty,” indicating that there might not be any absolute standard of beauty in human society. Zhuang Zhou’s philosophy and aesthetic view has profound and far-reaching influence on Chinese literature and art. It has nourished many aesthetic paradigm and artistic styles. Additionally, his philosophy also advocates an anti-utilitarian attitude, which provides an alternative supplement to the Confucian view of aesthetics within literature and art. But what exactly is meant by “Zhuang Zhou’s theory of art” or “the Zhuangzian aesthetics,” and in what manner has his teachings provided such far-reaching influence on Chinese aesthetics? We explore these questions with a discussion on four aesthetic principles emphasized within the Zhuangzian philosophy and exemplified by six concepts within the Zhuangzi. Following, we discuss these ideas relating to their impact within Chinese literature, art, and music with several real-world examples. In this way, Zhuang Zhou’s Daoist philosophy has significantly influenced Chinese aesthetic values.
2020 5th International Conference on Education and Social Development, 2020
The absolute priority of individual liberty and freedom has become a taboo and political correctn... more The absolute priority of individual liberty and freedom has become a taboo and political correctness for long in modern western ideology. However, many evidences indicates that excessively emphasizing the value of individual freedom in practice not only will not turn out good results, but also leads to the opposite direction, i.e., losing of freedom. From a cross-cultural perspective, over emphasizing the value of individual freedom is only an Anglo-American cultural particularity. Freedom is only one among other important human values. According to ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin-Yang and Five elements, these different values are mutually correlated. Over emphasizing the absoluteness of one value will cause the interaction of other elements, and will lead things towards opposite direction. Therefore, it is necessary to say no to the cult of extreme liberalism.
Journal for The Study of Religions and Ideologies, 2018
Whether Confucianism is a religion or not has been a controversial issue for many years. Recently... more Whether Confucianism is a religion or not has been a controversial issue for many years. Recently, along with the "national revitalization" movement in China, Confucianism has been valued and advocated again in China at both official and civil levels. This trend sometimes has been perceived by some observers as a kind of religious revival movement. This paper analysis some key components in the thought of Confucius, such as his idea and attitude towards "Gods", "Tian" and other divine or supernatural beings, in order to prove that, although Confucius does not exclude religious faith, and has accepted some traditional religious rituals, the basic Confucian doctrines are not constructed on any religious foundation. The essence of Confucianism is humanism and rationalism characterized with the practical reason of "zhongdaology". It provides a rational base for constructing the secular ideology in ancient China. In today's Chinese society, Confucianism can still play a role in constructing the modern secular ideology, which may accommodate cultural diversity yet maintain a harmonious social political environment.
Frontier of Philosophy in China, 2018
In modern Western liberal discourse, human dignity has been cast as an important component of bas... more In modern Western liberal discourse, human dignity has been cast as an important component of basic human rights, while so-called human rights have been generally understood as certain inborn, inherent and inalienable properties of every human being. In this understanding, human dignity is just a natural endowment rather than a historically constructed social-cultural phenomenon. Based on this premise, liberalism is justified for the reason that under a social condition of complete freedom, individuals will spontaneously exercise their rights thus to secure their dignity. However, from a Confucian point of view, human dignity is socially defined and exists in concrete forms in social-cultural contexts. Dignity is not an abstract, universal, minimal standard that can be applied to all people at every time; it refers to individuals' decency and grace under various given social contexts, and it corresponds to particular roles, statuses and even ages and genders of individuals in their respective societies. The full realization of human dignity relies on certain social-cultural or institutional arrangements. Confucian li is precisely this kind of arrangement, which designs a whole set of regulations and norms in order to maintain human dignity in general, as well as to maintain different people's dignity in varying situations. Therefore, according to Confucianism, behaving appropriately according to the norms and regulations of li is just a way to preserve dignity.
The essence of traditional Chinese Confucian philosophy can be termed “Zhongdaology”; it searches... more The essence of traditional Chinese Confucian philosophy can be termed “Zhongdaology”; it searches for the appropriate degree of zhong which is a standard guiding people’s actions. The Chinese pictographic character “zhong” has multiple meanings, including centrality, middle, appropriate, fit, just, fair, impartial, upright, etc. In early Confucianism, it has been developed into an important concept with profound philosophical connotations; it includes a combination of subjective and objective views, a fusion of different stances and considerations, and postulates a harmony of the internal and external worlds. Zhongdaology takes a dynamic, contextual, correlative and dialectic view of things in the world, and provides a way of thinking different from the traditional Western ontological (metaphysical) way of thinking. The practical rationality and wisdom of Zhongdaology are very significant for promoting dialogue and resolving a variety of conflicts in human societies.
Frontier of Philosophy in China, 2015
" Liberty " is a core, prior value of modern Western culture, and particularly of Anglo-American ... more " Liberty " is a core, prior value of modern Western culture, and particularly of Anglo-American political and economic discourse. For more than a century, the US and other Western countries have been doing their utmost to promote the value of liberty around the world. However, different nations and cultures have different value priorities. Considering " liberty " as the essential, unassailable prior value is an Anglo-American cultural particularity without universal applicability. In China, " liberty " as a high value is a new idea imported from the West at the beginning of the modern era which never enjoyed a very important position in ancient China. Generally speaking, in Chinese culture, the value of " ping an, " with its connotations of peace, safety, equality, health, harmony, and tranquility, is obviously a prior value. Different value priorities have different impacts on culture. This paper tries to compare the American value priority of " liberty " with the Chinese value priority of " ping an, " while discussing their different historical backgrounds and cultural impacts. It argues that values and value priorities are neither absolute nor universal, but that they are rather historical, situational, and dynamic. Value priority in a society should be based on that society's particular social reality and on the stage of development and the life requirements of its people, rather than on an outside imperative. In the era of globalization, different and even sometimes contradictory human values may actually mutually complement and counterbalance one another.
“Ren xing shan”, or “Human nature is good”, is a famous thesis of Mencius. But it is questionable... more “Ren xing shan”, or “Human nature is good”, is a famous thesis of Mencius. But it is questionable whether the Mencian concept of “ren xing” is an exact equivalent of the western concept of “human nature”, and whether Mencius really thinks that all human beings are naturally moral. This paper suggests that when talking about “ren xing”, Mencius actually refers to both human being and human becoming. “Ren xing” may have a root in the nature of human being, which is a “mandate” endowed by “Heaven”. But the complete notion of “ren xing” should be construed in terms of the process towards full human becoming. “Human Nature is good” does not guarantee complete virtue for individual human beings. However, the human being has the capability of pursuing the moral direction along life’s path, and should take the responsibility of maintaining the right moral direction of human becoming, and thus should avoid veering from this moral path. This interpretation may provide a more consistent understanding of the metaphysical foundation, theoretic system, and self-cultivation practice of Mencian ethics.
The netherworld marriage or the wedding for dead persons is a folk religious ritual in ancient Ch... more The netherworld marriage or the wedding for dead persons is a folk religious ritual in ancient China. It is based on ancient Chinese folk belief of afterlife in the netherworld. Through a textual research and investigation based on relevant historical records and other ancient documents, as well as some archeological discoveries, this paper tries to give a brief account of the origin and development of netherworld marriage and its cultural and ideological background in ancient China. It finds that netherworld marriage might originate from human sacrifice in early ancient times, and its name varies in different periods. It has gone through its prevailing in the Tang Dynasty, declining in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and reviving again in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. During the long history, this custom was generally criticized and condemned by orthodoxy Confucian intellectuals, yet it was practiced and sometimes even prevailing among both noble class and common people, due to its deep root on the folk belief. The paper also intends to clarify some misconceptions and misunderstanding concerning the study of this unique cultural phenomenon.
“Zhong 中” is a very important philosophical concept in early Confucianism. Both the received anc... more “Zhong 中” is a very important philosophical concept in early Confucianism. Both the received ancient Confucian classics and the newly discovered ancient bamboo manuscripts tell us that adhering to the principle of “zhong” was an important political admonition which had been transmitted and inherited among the early ancient Chinese political leaders from generation to generation. Confucius and his followers adopted the concept of “zhong” and had further developed it into a sophisticated doctrine, which is usually called “Zhong Dao中道”(the Way of “Zhong”) or “Zhong Yong中庸”. Being a polysemous word, “zhong” has several different but philosophically related meanings. As a noun, it means the center, things inside or innate; as a verb, it means hitting exactly at a target, with extended meaning of correctness and fitness; as an adjective, it means middle, mean, average, etc. However, for a long time, people usually understand the “zhong” in the sense of only one of these meanings, and the “Zhong Dao” or “Zhong Yong” has been commonly interpreted as “the Doctrine of the Mean”. My argument in this paper is that a synthetic grasping and interpretation which should include all of the semantic meanings of “zhong” mentioned above is necessary in order to acquire a deep and well-rounded comprehension of the philosophic significance of the Way of “Zhong”. The Way of “Zhong” is featured with a dialectal view of the relationship between the Heaven and human being, the mind and materials, subjective desire and the available objective conditions, individual’s will and its current applicability, self and others, centrality and diversity, extremist and moderates, etc. The Way of “Zhong” has become a widely applied philosophical methodology in Confucianism, as well as a political principle and a kind of personal moral merit in early Confucian doctrines. Today, it still has relevance in contemporary Chinese social and cultural contexts, in terms of handling many existing social and cultural knotty problems in order to maintain the harmoniousness and stability of the society.
A correspondance to Nature magazine concening the relationship between Chinese traditional cultur... more A correspondance to Nature magazine concening the relationship between Chinese traditional culture and the practice of science research in modern China.
Although being widely considered as only a Western tradition, individualism is not absent in trad... more Although being widely considered as only a Western tradition, individualism is not absent in traditional Chinese philosophy and culture. In some of the classic Chinese philosophic works such as Zhuangzi, we can clearly identify some elements which can be appropriately attributed to “individualism”, such as the awareness of individual “self” as an independent and unique existence, advocating individual freedom and liberty, emphasizing on the value and dignity of individual life, favoring individuals’ autonomy and privacy, pursuing unconstrained development in personality and spirituality. However, due to its particular pre-Qin social cultural background and its unique Daoist philosophic origin, this kind of individualism in Zhuangzi has its own unique characteristics, which has made it distinguishable from the variety of other individualist thoughts emerged in different times and places in the West. Zhuangzi has a dynamic and open view on individual or “self”, he does not consider individuals as fixed and interchangeable “atoms” but as dynamic, changing and unique beings, he set the unlimited and indefinable Dao as the only and ultimate source for individuals to conform to, thus to release individual mind into an realm of infinite openness and freedom. Zhuangzian individualism is “inward” rather than “outward”, which means while concentrating on individuals’ freedom of spirit and innate nature, it cares less about individuals’ outside material interests and rights in social reality, and does not encourage competition and rivalry among individuals. The special type of individualism in Zhuangzi has a profound influence on Chinese culture, providing a spiritual space for the development of individuality and personality in ancient China. It also provides an alternative understanding of individual as an existence.
The subtle and complex relation between Confucianism and modern democracy has long been a controv... more The subtle and complex relation between Confucianism and modern democracy has long been a controversial issue, and it is now again becoming a topcal issue in the process of political modernization in contemporary China. This paper argues that there are some quite basic early Confucian values and principles which are not only compatible with democracy, but also may become the theoretic foundation of modern democracy in China. Early Confucianism considers “the people’s will” as the direct representative of “Heaven’s will”, with which it legitimizes political power. Confucian theory of “human nature is good” endorses equal potential good for every man. These principles can be used in reasoning towards a system of democracy. In terms of decision-making, the Confucian “Doctrine of the Mean” accords with certain democratic principles. The independent personality and committed individualism advocated by early Confucianism is a required civic merit in a democratic society. These fundamental Confucian principles, through contemporary hermeneutics, may provide a philosophic grounding for democracy and support the construction of a democratic system with a Chinese dimension. To get democracy rooted in the spirit of traditional Chinese culture will benefit the healthy and smooth development of democracy in China.
In the Pre-Qin time, pursuing “Dao” was the main task in the scholarship of most of the ancient C... more In the Pre-Qin time, pursuing “Dao” was the main task in the scholarship of most of the ancient Chinese philosophers, while the Ancient Greek philosophers considered pursuing “Truth” as their ultimate goal. While the “Dao” in ancient Chinese texts and the “Truth” in ancient Greek philosophic literature do share or cross-cover certain connotations, there are subtle and important differences between the two comparable philosophic concepts. These differences have deep and profound impact on the later development of Chinese and Western philosophy and culture respectively. Interestingly, while the modern Chinese philosophy has gradually accepted and established the Western conception of “Truth” on its way towards modernization, the “post-modern” Western philosophy is just undergoing a process of deconstructing its traditional concept of “Truth”, thus, in a certain sense, going closer to the traditional Chinese “Dao”. From a comparative, relative and dynamic perspective, there could possibly be a fusion of horizon between the Chinese “Dao” and the Western “Truth”.
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Videos by Keqian Xu
1.The historical background；
2.The rising of the “shi” class；
3.The classification of pre-Qin Schools；
2.The origin of “Five Xings(Five Elements)”
3.The mode of a dynamic cosmos constructed with Yin Yang and Five Xings
4.Zou Yan: the representative of Yin-Yang School in the Warring State period
5.The influences of Yin-Yang and Five Xings on Chinese culture
Papers in English by Keqian Xu
"Minzhu" and "xuanju" are inherent terms in Chinese traditional political culture, with their specific political and historical connotations, which are not completely consistent with the Western concepts of democracy and election that we usually understand today. The basic meaning of "minzhu" in ancient China refers to those who are in the position of ruler and can make decisions on behalf of the people. The so-called "xuanju" refers to the selection of virtuous and talented men for politics by means of recommendation, inspection and examination. However, the reason why our predecessors used these two Chinese words to translate the concepts of democracy and election in Western modern politics is that they are not unrelated at all. The western modern political theory of democracy and election can reflect the defects of Chinese traditional political culture. Similarly, from the concept of "minzhu" and "xuanju" in Chinese traditional politics, we can also see some malpractices in the Western contemporary democracy and election culture. Perhaps the fusion of Chinese and Western concepts of "minzhu-democracy" and "xuanju-election" can provide some enlightenment for the development of contemporary social and political civilization.
1.The historical background；
2.The rising of the “shi” class；
3.The classification of pre-Qin Schools；
2.The origin of “Five Xings(Five Elements)”
3.The mode of a dynamic cosmos constructed with Yin Yang and Five Xings
4.Zou Yan: the representative of Yin-Yang School in the Warring State period
5.The influences of Yin-Yang and Five Xings on Chinese culture
"Minzhu" and "xuanju" are inherent terms in Chinese traditional political culture, with their specific political and historical connotations, which are not completely consistent with the Western concepts of democracy and election that we usually understand today. The basic meaning of "minzhu" in ancient China refers to those who are in the position of ruler and can make decisions on behalf of the people. The so-called "xuanju" refers to the selection of virtuous and talented men for politics by means of recommendation, inspection and examination. However, the reason why our predecessors used these two Chinese words to translate the concepts of democracy and election in Western modern politics is that they are not unrelated at all. The western modern political theory of democracy and election can reflect the defects of Chinese traditional political culture. Similarly, from the concept of "minzhu" and "xuanju" in Chinese traditional politics, we can also see some malpractices in the Western contemporary democracy and election culture. Perhaps the fusion of Chinese and Western concepts of "minzhu-democracy" and "xuanju-election" can provide some enlightenment for the development of contemporary social and political civilization.
From the book of Xunzi, we can find that lots of Xunzi's thoughts, propositions, viewpoints, metaphors and even expressions are obviously inherited, accepted and even copied from Mencius. Although Xunzi does not indicate that these contents come from Mencius, it is not difficult to see the profound influence of Mencius on Xunzi. On the other hand, Xunzi criticized and attacked Mencius by name in his book, and even called him guilty. To a large extent, Xunzi's criticism of Mencius and the school of Si-Meng draws on some of the thought resources of Taoism, especially that from the Zhuangzi. The purpose of Xunzi’s criticism to Si-Meng,may be to save Confucianism which was declining in the academic trend of thought in the late Warring States period.
The most prominent feature of Confucian philosophical thinking method is the "Zhongdaology". From the early Confucian classics and historical documents, we can see the long historical and cultural origin of "Zhongdaology" or the “way of Zhong”. This philosophical way of thinking runs through all the social ethical and political theories of Confucianism, forming a series of philosophical concepts centered with the concept of “Zhong” which means middle, neutral, mean, hit, appropriate, etc., which have extensively influenced many aspects of traditional Chinese culture. "Zhongdaology" represents a dialectical thinking mode and practical rational spirit in sharp contrast to the western metaphysical "ontology", and embodies the zhongdaological wisdom rich in Chinese cultural characteristics. This kind of wisdom still play a substantial cultural function in contemporary China, and constitute the traditional ideological and cultural deposits of contemporary Chinese road.
This book makes an in-depth study of one of the essential characteristics of Confucian philosophy and the traditional Chinese way of thinking, which has been termed as “zhongdaology”. It traces back to the origin and historical evolution of the Confucian philosophical concept “zhong”, discusses the philosophical connotations and significance of “zhongdaology” in traditional Chinese culture, analyzes its impact on the Chinese way of thinking and behavior, as well as its relevance to the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of contemporary China. The book also compares the traditional Chinese zhongdaological thinking mode with the typical Western traditional philosophical ontological thinking mode, points out the difference and far-reaching of the two philosophical traditions. It also discusses the value and significance of zhongdaological thinking mode in the current era. This book provides new insights into the basic characteristics of Confucian philosophy from the perspective of the internal investigation of traditional Chinese culture and the comparison between Chinese and Western cultures, which can provide a reference for Chinese and foreign readers to deeply understand Chinese ideological and cultural traditions, and correctly understand the reality of contemporary China.
The attachment is the first chapter of this book.
A revised seconed edition of this text book has been published by the Higher Education Press(高等教育出版社） in 2016。