冯友兰论中国哲学.pptVIP

A Brief Introduction to Chinese Philosophy Chinese Philosophy has a history of several thousand years. Its origins are often traced back to the I Ching, an ancient compendium of divination, which introduced some of the most fundamental terms of Chinese philosophy. Its age can only be estimated, but it certainly draws from an oracular tradition that goes back to neolithic times. In around 500 BC, after the Zhou state weakend and China moved in to the Spring and Autumn Period, the classic period of Chinese philosophy began ( it is an interesting fact that this date nearly coincides with the emergence of the first Greek philosophers). This is known as the Hundred Schools of Thought. Of the many schools founded at this time and during the subsequent Warring States Period, the four most influential ones were Confucianism, Daoism, (often spelled Taoism), Mohism and Legalism. The respective influences of Daoism and Confucianism are often described this way: Chinese are Confucianist during the day, while they are Daoists at night. Although the individual philosophical schools differ considerably, they nevertheless share a common subset of concepts derived from the Yi Jing: The tai ji (Great Heavenly Axis) forms a unity, from which two antagonistic concepts, yin and yang originate. The word yin originally referred to a hillside facing away from the sun. Philosophically, it stands the gloomy, passive, female concept, whereas yang (the hillside facing the sun) stands for the bright, active, male concept. Both concepts, though antagonistic, are also complementary and the present domination of one implies the future rise of the other, as moons phases (this is the meaning of the well-known yin-yang figures). 冯友兰论中国哲学 ————————————————