Li Guangdi: Difference between revisions

Li Guangdi
Li Guangdi
Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Library
	In office; 1705–1718
Minister of Personnel
	In office; 7 June 1703 – 24 December 1705 Serving with Dunbai
Preceded by	Chen Tingjing
Succeeded by	Song Luo
Governor of Zhili
	In office; 1698–1705
Preceded by	Yu Chenglong the Junior
Succeeded by	Zhao Hongxie
Personal details
Born	29 September 1642; Anxi County, Fujian, Qing Empire
Died	26 June 1718 (aged 75); Beijing, Qing Empire
Education	Jinshi degree in the Imperial Examination
Occupation	Politician

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Li Guangdi (Chinese: 李光地; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lí Kong-tē; 1642–1718), also known by his courtesy name Jinqing (Chinese: 晉卿; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chìn-kheng) and sobriquet Hou'an (Chinese: 厚庵; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hō͘-am), was a Chinese neo-Confucianist court official during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty.

Biography

Li was a native of Hutouzhen An-khoe County, Fujian Province. In 1670, he was promoted to the rank of jinshi and moved to Beijing, leaving his brother Li Guangpo behind to look after his family.^[1] Li's career prospects improved when the Emperor pacified Fujian and acted on Li's suggestion to defeat Wu Sangui. He also helped defeat Geng Jingzhong, persuading his friend Chen Menglei to work as a spy in Geng's camp.^[2] Later in life, he was responsible for planning Shi Lang's conquest of Taiwan. During the course of his life, Li held various court positions, including Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, Governor of Zhili and Grand Secretary, and positions on the Board of War, Board of Civil Service and the Board of Public Works.^[3]^[4]

Philosophy

Li's philosophy was rooted in the Cheng-Zhu school. However, despite being a follower of Zhu Xi he did not entirely disregard the teachings of Zhu's rivals Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming. He also highlighted similarities between the teachings of Confucius and those of Buddha and Lao Tzu. Li felt that human nature (which he believed to be inherently good) was the ultimate subject of his study, and that nature was the guiding principle on which to base human morality. He had an interest in the sciences.^[4]

Li wrote or edited a number of philosophical texts, including the Complete Works of Master Zhu (Zhuzi daquan), the Essential Ideas of Nature and Principle (Xingli jingli) and the Interpretation of the Meaning of the Four Books (Si shu Jieyi). An expert on the I Ching, he also wrote two books on the subject, the Penetrating Discourse (Zhouyi tonglun) and the Balanced Annotations (Zhouyi zhezhong); the latter took the (at the time) unusual editorial step of segregating the original text of the I Ching from its subsequent commentaries.^[5] A complete collection of Li's works (around thirty books) was published around a hundred years after his death, entitled the Complete Works of Rongcun (Rongcun quanji).^[3]^[4]

References

^ Family Matters: Women's Negotiation with Confucian Family Ethics in Qing and Republican China. 2007. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-549-40571-9.
^ Zhu Weizheng (23 April 2015). Rereading Modern Chinese History. BRILL. p. 168. ISBN 978-90-04-29331-1.
^ ^a ^b Ng, On-Cho (2010). "Li Guangdi and the Philosophy of Human Nature". Dao Companion to Neo-Confucian Philosophy. Springer. pp. 381–398. doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2930-0_18. ISBN 978-90-481-2929-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c Xinzhong Yao (11 May 2015). The Encyclopedia of Confucianism: 2-volume Set. Routledge. pp. 362–363. ISBN 978-1-317-79349-6.
^ Hon, Tze-ki (2005). "Constancy in change: A comparison of James Legge's and Richard Wilhelm's interpretations of the Yijing". Monumenta Serica. 53: 315–336. doi:10.1179/mon.2005.53.1.010. JSTOR 40727466. S2CID 163921161.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Qing dynasty politician}}
-{{Chinese name|[[Li (surname 李)|Li]]}}
+{{family name hatnote|[[Li (surname 李)|Li]]|lang=Chinese}}
-[[File:Li Guangdi.jpg|thumb|upright|Li Guangdi]]
+{{Infobox officeholder
+| honorific_prefix =
+|name=Li Guangdi
+|image=Li Guangdi.jpg
+| office           = [[Grand Secretariat|Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Library]]
-'''Li Guangdi''' ({{zh|c=李光地}}; 1642–1718), also known by his [[courtesy name]] Jinqing (晉卿) and [[art name|sobriquet]] Hou'an (厚庵), was a Chinese [[Neo-Confucianism|neo-Confucianist]] court official during the reign of the [[Kangxi Emperor]] of the [[Qing dynasty]].
+| term_start       = 1705
+| term_end         = 1718
+| predecessor      =
+| successor        =
+| office1           = [[Ministry of Personnel (imperial China)|Minister of Personnel]]
-Li was a native of [[Anxi County]], [[Fujian]] Province. He was promoted to the rank of ''[[Imperial examination|jinshi]]'' in 1670 and moved to [[Beijing]], leaving his brother Li Guangpo behind to look after his family.<ref>{{cite book|title=Family Matters: Women's Negotiation with Confucian Family Ethics in Qing and Republican China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sPo8qbj3N_MC&pg=PA78|year=2007|publisher=ProQuest|isbn=978-0-549-40571-9|page=78}}</ref> Li's career prospects were improved when his plan for the pacification of [[Fujian]] and the defeat of [[Wu Sangui]] was adopted by the Emperor. He was also instrumental in the defeat of [[Geng Jingzhong]], persuading his friend Chen Minglei to work as a spy in Geng's camp (Chen was later exiled for his betrayal).<ref name="Weizheng2015">{{cite book|author=Zhu Weizheng|title=Rereading Modern Chinese History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTu2CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA168|date=23 April 2015|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-29331-1|page=168}}</ref> Later in life, he was responsible for planning [[Shi Lang]]'s conquest of [[Taiwan]]. During the course of his life, Li held many important court positions, including Chancellor of the [[Hanlin Academy]], Governor of [[Zhili]] and Grand Secretary, as well as holding high-ranking positions on the Board of War, Board of Civil Service and the Board of Public Works.<ref name=Ng2010>{{cite web|last1=Ng|first1=On-Cho|title=Li Guangdi and the Philosophy of Human Nature|url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-90-481-2930-0_18#page-1|publisher=Springer|accessdate=18 August 2015}}</ref><ref name="Yao2015">{{cite book|author=Xinzhong Yao|title=The Encyclopedia of Confucianism: 2-volume Set|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-c4CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA362|date=11 May 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-79349-6|pages=362–363}}</ref>
+| term_start1       = 7 June 1703
+| term_end1         = 24 December 1705
+| alongside1        = Dunbai
+| predecessor1      = [[Chen Tingjing]]
+| successor1        = Song Luo
+| office2           = [[Grand coordinator and provincial governor|Governor]] of [[Zhili]]
-Li's philosophy was rooted in the [[Cheng-Zhu school]], however despite being a follower of [[Zhu Xi]] he did not entirely disregard the teachings of Zhu's rivals [[Lu Jiuyuan]] and [[Wang Yangming]]. He also highlighted similarities between the teachings of Confucius and those of [[Buddha]] and [[Lao Tzu]]. Li felt that human nature (which he believed to be inherently good) was the ultimate subject of his study, and that nature was the guiding principle on which to base human morality. He had an interest in the sciences, and was interested by Western scientific innovations.<ref name="Yao2015"/>
+| term_start2       = 1698
+| term_end2         = 1705
+| predecessor2      = Yu Chenglong the Junior
+| successor2        = Zhao Hongxie
+| education = ''[[Jinshi]]'' degree in the [[Imperial Examination]]
-Li wrote or edited a number of important philosophical texts, including the ''Complete Works of Master Zhu'' (''Zhuzi daquan''), the ''Essential Ideas of Nature and Principle'' (''Xingli jingli'') and the ''Interpretation of the Meaning of the Four Books'' (''Si shu Jieyi''). An expert on the ''[[I Ching]]'', he also wrote two books on the subject, the ''Penetrating Discourse'' (''Zhouyi tonglun'') and the ''Balanced Annotations'' (''Zhouyi zhezhong''); the latter took the (at the time) unusual editorial step of segregating the original text of the ''I Ching'' from its subsequent commentaries.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hon|first1=Tze-ki|title=Constancy in change: A comparison of James Legge's and Richard Wilhelm's interpretations of the Yijing|journal=Monumenta Serica|date=2005|volume=53|page=320|jstor=40727466}}</ref> A complete collection of Li's works (around thirty books) was published around a hundred years after his death, entitled the ''Complete Works of Rongcun'' (''Rongcun quanji'').<ref name=Ng2010/><ref name="Yao2015"/>
+| birth_date = {{birth date|1642|9|29|df=yes}}
+| birth_place = [[Anxi County]], Fujian, [[Qing dynasty|Qing Empire]]
+| death_date = {{Death date and age|1718|6|26|1642|9|29|df=yes}}
+| death_place = Beijing, Qing Empire
+| occupation = Politician
+}}
+'''Li Guangdi''' ({{zh|c=李光地|poj=Lí Kong-tē}}; 1642–1718), also known by his [[courtesy name]] Jinqing ({{zh|c=晉卿|poj=Chìn-kheng}}) and [[art name|sobriquet]] Hou'an ({{zh|c=厚庵|poj=Hō͘-am}}), was a Chinese [[Neo-Confucianism|neo-Confucianist]] court official during the reign of the [[Kangxi Emperor]] of the [[Qing dynasty]].
+==Biography==
+Li was a native of Hutouzhen [[Anxi County|An-khoe County]], [[Fujian]] Province. In 1670, he was promoted to the rank of ''[[jinshi]]'' and moved to [[Beijing]], leaving his brother Li Guangpo behind to look after his family.<ref>{{cite book|title=Family Matters: Women's Negotiation with Confucian Family Ethics in Qing and Republican China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sPo8qbj3N_MC&pg=PA78|year=2007|isbn=978-0-549-40571-9|page=78}}</ref> Li's career prospects improved when the Emperor pacified [[Fujian]] and acted on Li's suggestion to defeat [[Wu Sangui]]. He also helped defeat [[Geng Jingzhong]], persuading his friend [[Chen Menglei]] to work as a spy in Geng's camp.<ref name="Weizheng2015">{{cite book|author=Zhu Weizheng|title=Rereading Modern Chinese History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fTu2CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA168|date=23 April 2015|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-29331-1|page=168}}</ref> Later in life, he was responsible for planning [[Shi Lang]]'s conquest of [[Taiwan]]. During the course of his life, Li held various court positions, including Chancellor of the [[Hanlin Academy]], Governor of [[Zhili]] and Grand Secretary, and positions on the Board of War, Board of Civil Service and the Board of Public Works.<ref name=Ng2010>{{cite book|last1=Ng|first1=On-Cho|title=Dao Companion to Neo-Confucian Philosophy|pages=381–398|chapter=Li Guangdi and the Philosophy of Human Nature|publisher=Springer|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-2930-0_18|year=2010|isbn=978-90-481-2929-4}}</ref><ref name="Yao2015">{{cite book|author=Xinzhong Yao|title=The Encyclopedia of Confucianism: 2-volume Set|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P-c4CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA362|date=11 May 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-79349-6|pages=362–363}}</ref>
+== Philosophy ==
+Li's philosophy was rooted in the [[Cheng-Zhu school]]. However, despite being a follower of [[Zhu Xi]] he did not entirely disregard the teachings of Zhu's rivals [[Lu Jiuyuan]] and [[Wang Yangming]]. He also highlighted similarities between the teachings of Confucius and those of [[Buddha]] and [[Lao Tzu]]. Li felt that human nature (which he believed to be inherently good) was the ultimate subject of his study, and that nature was the guiding principle on which to base human morality. He had an interest in the sciences.<ref name="Yao2015"/>
+Li wrote or edited a number of philosophical texts, including the ''Complete Works of Master Zhu'' (''Zhuzi daquan''), the ''Essential Ideas of Nature and Principle'' (''Xingli jingli'') and the ''Interpretation of the Meaning of the Four Books'' (''Si shu Jieyi''). An expert on the ''[[I Ching]]'', he also wrote two books on the subject, the ''Penetrating Discourse'' (''Zhouyi tonglun'') and the ''Balanced Annotations'' (''Zhouyi zhezhong''); the latter took the (at the time) unusual editorial step of segregating the original text of the ''I Ching'' from its subsequent commentaries.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hon|first1=Tze-ki|title=Constancy in change: A comparison of James Legge's and Richard Wilhelm's interpretations of the Yijing|journal=Monumenta Serica|date=2005|volume=53|pages=315–336|jstor=40727466|doi=10.1179/mon.2005.53.1.010|s2cid=163921161}}</ref> A complete collection of Li's works (around thirty books) was published around a hundred years after his death, entitled the ''Complete Works of Rongcun'' (''Rongcun quanji'').<ref name=Ng2010/><ref name="Yao2015"/>
 ==References==
 {{Reflist|30em}}
+==Further reading==
-[[Category:Neo-Confucianism]]
+*Ng, On-Cho, ''Cheng-Zhu Confucianism in the Early Qing: Li Guangdi (1642–1718) and Qing Learning''. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2001). {{ISBN|0791448819}}
+*{{cite ECCP|title=Li Kuang-ti}}
+{{Authority control}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Guangdi}}
+[[Category:Hokkien people]]
+[[Category:Neo-Confucian scholars]]
 [[Category:1642 births]]
 [[Category:1718 deaths]]
+[[Category:Grand secretaries of the Qing dynasty]]
 [[Category:Qing dynasty philosophers]]
-[[Category:Hokkien people]]
+[[Category:17th-century Chinese philosophers]]
-[[Category:People from Quanzhou]]
+[[Category:Politicians from Quanzhou]]
 [[Category:Philosophers from Fujian]]
 [[Category:Writers from Fujian]]
 [[Category:Qing dynasty writers]]
-[[Category:Qing dynasty politicians from Fujian]]
+[[Category:Imperial tutors in Qing dynasty]]

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