An Interpretation of the Philosophical Thoughts in Dai Zhen's Annotations on the Meanings of Terms in the Mencius

Abstract

Annotations on the Meanings of Terms in the Mencius is a pivotal philosophical work by Dai Zhen, a prominent scholar of the Qing Dynasty. In this book, Dai Zhen critiques Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism by annotating and verifying The Mencius, thereby expounding his own philosophical ideas. Thus, Annotations on the Meanings of Terms in the Mencius stands as a significant achievement in Dai Zhen’s philosophical thought.This paper primarily interprets his philosophical ideas from two perspectives: first, the concept of "li" , and second, the ideological system embodied in the work. It reveals that Dai Zhen developed his own philosophical thought in the process of criticizing Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. With a simple materialist worldview, he forcefully criticized the ascetic viewpoint of "preserving heavenly li and extinguishing human desires" advocated by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucians, and further established a materialist outlook on the universe, theory of knowledge and action, and theory of human nature.