Li Zhi A Book to Burn: Philosophical Ideas and Structure of Juan No 4

The article presents the further research of the key part of «A Book to Burn» (Fen Shu), opus magnum of iconoclastic late Ming thinker Li Zhi (1527–1602). The object of analysis are the essays of juan №4 (chapter «Diverse Writings», Za Shu), the main ideas of which were formulated, e.g. praise of justice and faithfulness, the common nature of three teachings, potential of sage in every person, the priority of inner self-cultivation of the heart-mind, feminist views etc. Apart from that, the inner structure of juan was reconstructed: there are evident genre groups namely “Interpretations” (jie), “Opinions” (yu), “Letters” (shu), “About statues” (xiang), “Petition letters” (gao wen), “About things expressed in numbers” (shu), “Sets” (tao) and “About plays” (ju). This discovery can serve as a serious reason to dispute the point of editorial group of «A Book to Burn & A Book to Keep (Hidden): Selected Writings of Li Zhi» (Columbia University Press, 2016), who state that concerning «A Book to Burn» “no discernible logic seems to govern the presentation of material” and describes it as “an unruly hodgepodge of facts, opinions and impressions”.

Keywords

Chinese philosophy, Neo-Confucianism, Li Zhi, Fen shu, A Book to Burn, Za shu, Xin xue, Ming.

Publication date

03.10.2018

Number of characters

1223

Cite

GOST	Rudenko N. Li Zhi “A Book to Burn”: Philosophical Ideas and Structure of Juan No 4 // Voprosy filosofii – 2018. – Issue 8 C. 150-163 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/vphil/s207987840000180-7-1-en (circulation date: 24.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S004287440000746-5
MLA	Rudenko, Nikolai "Li Zhi “A Book to Burn”: Philosophical Ideas and Structure of Juan No 4." Voprosy filosofii 8 (2018):150-163. DOI: 10.31857/S004287440000746-5
APA	Rudenko N. (2018). Li Zhi “A Book to Burn”: Philosophical Ideas and Structure of Juan No 4. Voprosy filosofii (8), pp.150-163 DOI: 10.31857/S004287440000746-5

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1. Handler-Spitz, Rivi, Lee, Pauline C., Saussy, Haun, eds. (2016) A Book to Burn & A Book to Keep (Hidden): Selected Writings of Li Zhi, Columbia University Press, New York. 
2. Rudenko, Nikolai V. (2017) ‘Li Zhi “A Book to Burn”: Philosophical Ideas and Structure of Juan № 3’, Voprosy Filosofii, Vol. 11 (2017), pp. 163–174 (in Russian). 
3. Titarenko, Mikhail L., ed. (2007) Spiritual Culture of China: Encyclopedia: in 5 vol. V. II: Mythology, Religion, Vostochnaia Literatura, Moscow (in Russian). 
4. Xu Jianping (2005) Li Zhi sixiang yanbian shi (History of the Evolution of Li Zhi’s Ideas), Renmin chubanshe, Beijing (in Chinese).

Additional sources and materials

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