Current Texts Confucianism

Template:Chinese text New Text Confucianism(simplified Chinese: 今文经学; traditional Chinese: 今文經學) is a school of thought in Confucianism that was based on Confucian classics recompiled by Confucians who survived Qin Dynasty's notorious burning of books and burying of scholars in early Han Dynasty. The survivors wrote the classics in the contemporary characters of their time, and these texts were later dubbed as "New Text". New Text school attained prominence in Western Han Dynasty and became the official interpretation for Confucianism, which was adopted as the official ideology by Emperor Wu of Han. Represented by Confucians such as Dong Zhongshu, this school advocated a holistic interpretation of Confucian classics and viewed Confucius as a charismatic, visionary prophet, a sage who deserved the Mandate of Heaven but did not attain kingship due to circumstances. The school competed with Old Text Confucianism in later Han Dynasty and its dominance waned as the latter became the new orthodoxy. The school fell into obscurity during the chaotic period after the fall of Han Dynasty and remained so until late Ming Dynasty in the seventeenth century.

The study of New Texts was revived by a group of scholars who were dissatisfied with the popular Neo-Confucianism at the time in late Ming Dynasty. The movement gained momentum in eighteenth century with the rise of Changzhou School of Thought. It became a major intellectual trend in the Chinese philology and political ideology. As formulated by B.Elman, it was intended to offer a solution to the crisis of confidence between the Chinese state and its gentry constituency in the transition of Qianlong-Jiaqing era (respectively the 7-th and 8-th emperors of the Qing dynasty).

Notable Scholars

• Zhuang Cunyu
• Liu Fenglu
• Kang Youwei

See Also

• Gongyang Zhuan
• Old Texts

Literature

• Elman, Benjamin A. Classicism, politics, and kingship: the Chang-chou school of New Text Confucianism in late imperial China. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990. [1]