Due to political corruption in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the situation was chaotic. Cao Cao and Zhuge Liang adopted the ideas of famous artists or legalists to restore social order.
Cao Cao advocated reward and punishment and the rule of law. Put forward the concept of "meritocracy" and break the standard of family tradition or famous education.
Zhuge Liang also advocated the concept of rule of law, cultivated the legal system after entering Shu, and enforced justice. Put forward the view that "the key to governing the country is to recommend talents". He also attaches importance to military law. For example, in the Battle of Jieting, Ma Su was beheaded for violating military orders, and he reduced himself to the third class. Wei Chu's thought of name and law at the end of Han Dynasty provided a foundation for the metaphysical trend of thought in Wei and Jin Dynasties, which made celebrities shift their focus from the specific problems of name and law to the abstract speculation of metaphysics based on political darkness.
In the study of Confucian classics, Zheng Xuanzhi's study of Confucian classics at the end of Han Dynasty was highly respected. But in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Wang Su inherited his father's learning and annotated the classics. His views on Confucian classics are different from those of Zheng Xuan, so it is difficult for Zheng and Wang to refute each other.
At the end of Cao Wei, Sima Shi usurped Wei as Jin. At that time, politics was dark, intellectuals' thoughts tended to be reactionary, their spirits were depressed, and there was no way out. Those who tend to Cao Shi are mostly people who have lost power and influence. They criticize politics and advocate nature through open talks. It tends to maintain the famous religion and gradually divide the Confucian style. Because Wang Su is the grandson of Emperor Wu of Jin Dynasty, he established an official school, and once denied Shen Zheng and made Wang Xuecheng the patriarch.
"Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest and Prosperity", brick painting of tombs in Southern Dynasties. From top to bottom, from left to right are hermits and seven sages of bamboo forest in the Spring and Autumn Period, namely Ruan Xian, Liu Ling, Xiang Embroidery, Ji Kang, Ruan Ji, Dan Tao and Wang Rong.
Metaphysics was the most prominent thought in Wei and Jin Dynasties. Its basic teachings are Laozi, Zhuangzi and Zhouyi, collectively known as San Xuan. Metaphysical scholars like to talk about Hyunri, but don't talk about secular things, which is called nonsense and popular in Wei and Jin Dynasties.
In the gestation period of 240-248, the representatives were Yan He and Wang Bi. Metaphysics holds that a thing needs to know the "origin" of the principle behind it in order to understand the "end" of what is usually seen, and then advocates the theory of "unity of end and origin" We regard "essence" as "Tao", compare it with "nothing" without form (principle and trend), regard "end" as "existence" of actual phenomenon, and think that "everything originates from nothing".
After that, Sima Yan usurped the Jin Jian of Wei.
Represented by Ruan Ji, Ji Kang and other seven sages of bamboo forest, they turned their focus from ideological theory to life problems. At that time, the politics was dark, and Sima suppressed the literati and decorated himself by advocating fame and education. Ruan Ji and Ji Kang advocated that Confucian ethics suppressed human nature and hypocrisy, and emphasized the liberation of human nature and the sincerity of nature. They took the lead in realizing this theory and formed an atmosphere of emancipating personality.
After the Western Jin Dynasty, the discussion spread to the political arena, and the dignitaries who held power also talked about Hyunri, showing a group of dignitaries who were alive and about to be born. Fei Li proposed a revision of "nature" and advocated "advocating ontology" to correct the disadvantages of "false life". Guo Xiang further proved that "Ming Jiao" is "nature" and the development of metaphysics came to an end.