Wan Ming 'Xiaojing' xue yanjiu

This dissertation investigates the study of the 'Xiaojing", one of the major Confucian works in the Late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It more precisely investigates how the phenomenonof the 'three teachings' (Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism) influenced the interpretation of this text, what the influence of the Song Dynasty philosopher Zhu Xi (1130-1200) on Ming scholarship has been, and what the impact of a ritual reform for which the "Xiaojing" was used as justification has been on the interpretation of this text. As such, this study also investigates the development of Neo-Confucian thought in the Ming Dynasty