Liu Zongzhou

Liu Zongzhou (simplified Chinese: 刘宗周; traditional Chinese: 劉宗周; pinyin: Liú Zōngzhōu, 1579–1645), also known as Liu Jishan (simplified Chinese: 刘蕺山; traditional Chinese: 劉蕺山), courtesy name Qidong (起东). As he lectured at the Jishan Academy, later generations referred to him as Master Jishan (蕺山先生). He was a native of Shanyin County in Zhejiang (present-day Shaoxing). Liu was a prominent Neo-Confucianism philosopher, literary figure, and political actor during the late Ming dynasty, and one of the key representatives of the Zhedong School of Confucian thought. His writings are known for their depth and complexity, often regarded as abstruse and difficult to interpret.

Liu passed the imperial examination and obtained the jinshi degree in the 29th year of the Wanli reign (1601). During the Tianqi reign, he was dismissed from office after impeaching the powerful eunuch Wei Zhongxian. He was reinstated during the reign of the Chongzhen Emperor, but was later impeached once again. After the fall of Hangzhou during the transition from Ming to Qing, Liu died by starvation in protest.^[1] One of his students Zhu Yuan (祝渊) committed suicide by hanging himself.^[2] Another one of his students Wang Yushi (王毓蓍) committed suicide by drowning himself.^[3]

Throughout his life, Liu Zongzhou struggled to reconcile the divergent streams of Neo-Confucianism, particularly seeking to unify the teachings of the Song and Ming dynasties. His philosophical development underwent significant transformations: in his early years, he adhered to the Cheng-Zhu orthodoxy; in middle age, he turned toward the School of the Heart advocated by Wang Yangming; and in his later years, he grew wary of its tendency to converge with Chan Buddhism, leading to further shifts in his stance.^[4] His collected works were compiled in Collected Works of Liu Jishan (刘蕺山集), comprising seventeen volumes.

Liu had a profound influence in the final decades of the Ming dynasty, attracting a large following and giving rise to what became known as the Jishan School (蕺山学派). His thought deeply influenced later scholars such as Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi. Huang Zongxi, in particular, drew heavily from Liu's philosophy in his compilation of the Records of Ming Confucianism (明儒学案).^[4]