“Promoting Virtue” and “Following Knowledge”: The Historical Influence and Significance of the Debate between Zhu Xi and Lu Xiangshan

The concepts of “promoting virtue” and “following knowledge” proposed in The Doctrine of the Mean(《中庸》),which are the different levels and aspects of a life cultivation of gentleman,and their correlations have never been doubted.However,“promoting virtue” and “following knowledge” have become a major issue with the need for giving lectures and seeking knowledge prominently since the rise of Neo Confucianism,and the debate between of Zhu Xi and Lu Xiangshan unfolded from this.The generalize of “reading extensively” and “pursuing the original mind” were formed in the narrative of this debate between their disciples.Therefore,two different academic approaches were developed through the different directions of Luo Qinshun and Wang Yangming in the Ming Dynasty.From Dai Zhen to Zhang Xuecheng,the expression of this issue in the field of learning was further deepened through “erudition” and “agreement”,“specialization” and “refinement”.If we can revert to the original meaning of The Doctrine of the Mean and analyze this problem from the perspective of transcendence and inherent of Confucianism,this debate that has existed for nearly a thousand years may be sorted out,and we will know the problems that the pursuit of modern epistemology and the trend of epistemology need to be solved urgently.