The Intrinsic Spirit of Neo-Confucianism and Its Manifestation——Based on a Study of Reflections on Things at Hand

Abstract: As a comprehensive text of Neo-Confucianism, Reflections on Things at Hand(《近思录》), reflects the spiritual orientation of Neo-Confucianism and Confucianism in a concentrated manner. Its ideas include multiple aspects and have a focus on the field of values. The focus on "cessation"("止") is an important point among them. The so-called "cessation" first refers to different members of society, such as monarchs, ministers, fathers and sons, who should all bear their own responsibilities. From the perspective of intellectual history, different schools and figures in Chinese philosophy have different interpretations of "cessation", which involves epistemology, ontology, logic, values, and so on. The ideas on "cessation" in Reflections on Things at Hand mainly inherit and develop the values of traditional Confucianism. Related to the above connotations of "cessation", Reflections on Things at Hand also examines "fate" from multiple perspectives of value. The concept of "fate" in Chinese philosophy itself contains rich connotations. The Reflections on Things at Hand mainly categorizes fate from the aspects of fate and heaven, fate and human beings, fate and events, fate and qi, fate and reason, and highlights the normative significance of "fate" as a unity of course and necessity. Generally speaking, the value orientation of Reflections on Things at Hand also involves different aspects of Confucianism, including benevolence and Taoism, individual existence, social cohesion, and so on. Its ideas not only inherit traditional concepts, but also further develop and interpret them.