2001 7

The study of the neo-Confucianism and the basic questions of Chinese metaphysics

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to study the basic questions of Chinese metaphysics. The
author suggests two different kinds of metaphysics to discuss the Chinese philosophy. The
one is the theory of Being(); the other is the theory of Reality(). The modern
Chinese philosophical workers use the same word Ontology to name these two kinds of
theory. In western philosophy, the theory of Being is the question of metaphysics really
dealing with. But in Chinese philosophy, instead of this kind of metaphysics there is still
another kind of metaphysics that is the theory of Reality. Chinese philosophers discussed it
more seriously. The theory of Reality studies the ultimate value of the world. The Chinese
philosophers pursue the individuals to be one with this ultimate value. Which means they
try to do some practice to make their personality become perfection. And based on it they
constructed the theory of Practice(the way of doing;) and the theory of
Perfection(the perfect personality;). Together with the theory of the World(the
Cosmology;), the theory of Reality and Practice and
Perfection formed the basic four questions of the Chinese metaphysics. This is
the main conclusion proposed in this article. All the discussing will be proceeded by the
study of the interpretational systems of the neo-Confucianism in the philosophy of Mou

Tzung-sans () and Lao Ssu-Kwang (). They both independently constructed

an interpretational system of the neo-Confucianism. The author was not satisfied with their
systems and then proposed these four basic questions of the Chinese metaphysics to be the
interpretational system of the neo- Confucianism.
KEY WORD
neo-Confucianism; metaphysics; ontology; methodology; theory of Reality; theory of
Perfection; theory of Practice;

[i]

[ii]

[[iii]]

[[iv]]

[[v]]

[[vi]]

[[vii]]

[[viii]]

[[ix]]

[[x]]

[[xi]]

[[xii]]

[[xiii]]

[xiv]

[xv]

[xvi]

[[xvii]]

[[xviii]]

[[xix]]

[[xx]]

[xxi]

[[xxii]]

metaphysics

[[xxiii]]

ontology

theory of being
theory of substance[[xxiv]]

theory of reality

[xxv]

[[xxvi]]

[i]

[ii]

[iii]

[iv]
[v]
[vi]

[vii]

[viii] <
>

(Heidegger)<>

<>

(ontological perfection)

.
.(
404~405 )
[ix] 2000 8 25 26
20

[x]

[xi]

[xii]

[xiii]

40

Meta-ethical
Theories

42

43

44

45
[xiv]

[xv]

[xvi]

[xvii] () 107
1998 8 108 1998 9
1998 12
2000 08

[xviii]

[xix]

[xx]
1998 11
____
1999 7

[xxi]

[[xxi]]

2000 5 20 21
[xxii]

[xxiii]

(ontology)

[xxiv]

science of substancescience of being

[xxv]

[xxvi]