Wu Cheng's Neo-Confucian Commentary on Dao De Jing
Paul PengWu Cheng's Neo-Confucian Commentary on Dao De Jing
Composed by Wu Cheng of the Yuan Dynasty.
Consisting of four volumes, it is included in the Yujue (Jade Commentary) category of the Dongshen Section of the Daozang (Daoist Canon).
Wu Cheng's Neo-Confucian Commentary on Dao De Jing
His commentary interprets the Laozi based on the Neo-Confucian theories of nature and principle of the Song Dynasty, while also revising the chapters, sentences and wording of the classic text. He argues that the Dao and De expounded by Laozi "take emptiness, non-being and nature as their essence, and softness, weakness and non-arrogance as their function". He also states that "the Dao refers to the metaphysical principle, which is not mixed with qi".
This theory originates from Lu Xiangshan.
