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Zhang Zai: Zhang Zai (1020-1077), also known as Zihou by scholars, was one of the founders of Neo-Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty and a master of Guan Studies.
Zhang Zai left a rich ideological and cultural heritage for future generations. Among them, the most distinctive ones that can leave a lasting memory for the Chinese nation are: the humanistic value of "respecting etiquette and virtue", the concept of peace in the "Four Sentences of Hengqu", and the spiritual realm of "harmony between man and nature". These legacies are Zhang Zai's major contribution to ancient Chinese thought and culture, and they can still play a positive role in modern society.
Among Zhang Zai's spiritual heritage, there are four famous sayings that have been recited for thousands of years: "Establish a heart for the heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the unique knowledge for the saints, and create peace for all generations." Feng Youlan called it "Four Sentences on Hengqu". In the first sentence, the "heart" in "establishing a heart for heaven and earth" does not refer to "human thinking" nor to "the heart of the creatures of heaven and earth", but to human moral and spiritual values. Accordingly, "establishing a heart for heaven and earth" should refer to the ability of ancient Confucian saints to comprehend "the benevolence of heaven and earth" and to use the value and connotation of "benevolence of heaven and earth" as the basis of the universe, so as to establish a religion for the world and establish "rituals" for the world. "A moral value system with "propriety", "benevolence" and "filial piety" as its core. In the second sentence, "For the sake of livelihood and the people," Zhang Zai regards the people of the world as one body with a shared destiny, and uses the moral value of the previous sentence as the basis for the people to settle down and live their lives, so that they can control their own destiny and give meaning to their lives. The third sentence is "to carry on the unique learning for the past saints", "the past saints" refers to the saints in history. Zhang Zai and other Neo-Confucianists in the Northern Song Dynasty, in order to save the situation after Confucius and Mencius, who "learned the unique knowledge" while inheriting the "excellent learning" of Confucius and Mencius, , and also made theoretical innovations in Confucianism that "what the Six Classics did not contain, what the sages did not say". The fourth sentence is "to create peace for all generations." Realizing peace in the world is the social ideal pursued by Confucian scholars since Zhou and Confucius, and it is also the issue that attracts the most attention from the court and the public in the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, politicians represented by Ouyang Xiu and Fan Zhongyan proposed the strategy of "bringing peace" to the court. Zhang Zai not only paid attention to the current peaceful order, but also expressed his concern for "peace for all times" from a deeper perspective. The first three sentences of "Four Sentences in Hengqu" are intended to lay a long-term spiritual and cultural foundation for society and reflect Zhang Zai's foresight. The phrase "creating peace for all generations" is a classic expression by ancient intellectuals who took the world as their own responsibility. It is also the most Chinese-style concept of peace among great powers that has influenced today.