Zhang Zai
Source: Wikipedia: Zhang Zai
Philosophy & Thought • Historical Archive • 🇨🇳 Song Dynasty • 6 views

Zhang Zai 🇨🇳

張載
["Neo-Confucian Philosopher", "Cosmologist", "Author of the Western Inscription"]
Born Jan 01, 1020 🇨🇳 Kaifeng (Henan), Song Dynasty
Passed Away Jan 01, 1077 Hengqu (Shaanxi), Song Dynasty
Lifespan 57 years old
6 views
Notice / Correction
"To establish the mind of Heaven and Earth; to secure life for the living; to continue the discontinued learning of past sages; to build an eternal peace for all generations."

Archival Overview

Northern Song dynasty Neo-Confucian philosopher and founder of the Hengqu School whose four-line moral manifesto and essay 'The Western Inscription' (Ximing) articulated the universal ethical kinship of all humanity with Heaven and Earth.

Biographical Record

Zhang Zai (1020–1077) developed a monistic metaphysics based on vital energy (Qi), asserting that the entire cosmos consists of condensing and dispersing Qi rather than Buddhist emptiness or Daoist non-being, declaring that nothing in the universe is ever truly destroyed.

His short masterpiece 'The Western Inscription' (Ximing) provided Neo-Confucianism with its supreme ethical foundation: 'Heaven is my father and Earth is my mother... All people are my brothers and sisters, and all things are my companions.' His celebrated 'Four Sentences of Hengqu' defined the mission of all Chinese scholars for a millennium.

Key Life Milestones

1057

Jinshi Degree and Scholarly Service

Passed the imperial metropolitan examination alongside Su Shi and Cheng Yi, entering the state academy.

1076

Composition of 'The Western Inscription'

Penned the Ximing, establishing the universal cosmic brotherhood of all human beings.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Zhang Zai Tomb and Hengqu Academy
Meixian (Shaanxi), China
GPS: 34.2889, 107.7556
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