Dicite, Pierides : classical studies in honour of Stratis Kyriakidis

Dai Zhen is the representative of scholarly achievement during the Qian-Jia Period (the period between Qing Dynasty Emperors Qianlong and Jiaqing). The system of exegesis methodology he established is a remarkable accomplishment. He also culminated the methodology of New Hermeneutics of his time. However, most previous studies on Dai Zhen focus either on his exegesis and documentary analysis or on his New Hermeneutics; few have combined both aspects. This study uses Dai Zhen's ”Approaching the Dao through Exegesis” methodology to integrate his Classics studies and philosophical system. This investigation focuses on how, on the basis of precision exegesis, he established his New Hermeneutics system, which is different from the Neo-Confucian formula. This article starts with Dai Zhen's criticism, by means of exegesis and documentary analysis, of the Song Dynasty Confucian studies of the Classics. This article then moves on to discuss his New Hermeneutics, which is constructed on the basis of his ”non-metaphysical” theory with an emphasis on moral creativeness. The content of this article encompasses Dai Zhen's re-evaluation of traditional moral doctrines, his methodology of ”Approaching the Dao through Exegesis,” which combines Classics and philosophical systems, and his New Hermeneutics. The last aspect includes the theory about internal oneness of li (reason) and qi (force), such as ”unified li and qi” and ”non-divisiveness of xing (form) and shen (spirit)”. It also includes the theory of natural humanity-virtue, intellect, and sentiment; the theory of cultivation-proceeding from ”honoring virtue” to ”honoring sentiment” and ”honoring intellect”; the theory claiming that ”virtue is invested in intellect,” which in fact integrates virtue and intellect; and the theory advocating ”to purify sentiment by sentiment,” which integrates nature and sentiment, as well as desire and reason.

Oe Masafusa 大江匡房 (1041-1111) was a late Heian-era 平安期 Japanese scholar accomplished in the study of Chinese classics, who actively sought contact with the Northern Song. He was made a high-ranking official in Dazaifu 太宰府, an important trading tow n, which enabled him to gather information concerning the Northern Song from visiting merchants. Acutely aware of trends in its neighbor across the water, Oe believed that if his Chinese prose and poetry works could only gain their recognition, it would bring him honor at home. From his words and deeds, Japanese researchers have presumed some possible connections exist between his works and the Northern Song. This survey of his late quotation-style work, the Godansho 江談抄, reveals that its literary sty le shares commonalities in character and form with Northern Song dynasty note-form literature. Current research of the Godansho chiefly focuses on it as a record of discourse or as a single volume of records for studying Chinese and Japanese classical allusions. There has not yet been a comprehensive survey and analysis of its composition as a whole. In comparing the Godansho stylistically with Northern Song note-form literature, this study adopts an alternative perspective in order to seek out different possibilities and explanations. Through thorough analysis, this research will also investigate the connections between the Godansho and the literature of the Northern Song dynasty. Today categorized as a work of Japanese setsuwa (說話 oral literature), discussion of the Godansho in this respect will also be integrated.

China admires characters and deems them as the sacred products. What renders such an attitude and what kind of impact has it produced? Characters are one indicator of the civilization. In the western societies, the phonetic written words are symbols of languages away from the mind since they are symbols with the secondary significance. In China, characters representing the written words with significance are the second language; moreover, they are sacred for the absence of written words. Despite the speculation of languages and characters in early Chin Dynasty, the importance of languages was weakened after Han Dynasty. Therefore, the Confucian classical studies firmed up the importance of characters; consequently, characters are deemed as the critical fundamental of domination-the beginning of royal governance- characters are both the ancient literature and a basis of roads to the saints' minds. Therefore, those who master characters not only grasp the knowledge but also own the symbolic significance of dominant legitimacy. In addition, that Emperor Han Wu exclusively honored Confucian classical studies rendered that the Confucian classical studies became the political ideology to penetrate into all dimensions of social life, including diplomacy, adjudication and economic life. The basis of political measures all came from the characters in the Confucian classical studies.