The Essentials of Zhang Bingzhi’s Theory of Cultivations and Efforts

Abstract

Zhang Bingzhi, a late scholar of Guanxue in the Qing Dynasty, based on Zhu Zi’s theory of human nature, indicated that “temperament is exhausting” and proposed that “changing temperament should be the first thing to do in the beginning of learning”. Moreover, it also combines “changing temperament” with Cheng Zhu’s “advocated principles of self-control and extension of knowledge” and develops it from both internal and external, dynamic and static aspects, reflecting Guan Xue’s inheritance and integration of Zhu Zi’s work. However, compared to “no stirrings”, Zhang Bingzhi emphasizes the need to work on what has been stirred at all times and in all places, reflecting the characteristic of “emphasis on practice”.