Dong Zhongshu 179 BC – 104 BC
Dong Zhongshu (179 BC – 104 BC) was a Chinese philosopher of the Ancient era, associated with Confucianism.
Dong Zhongshu was a Chinese Han-dynasty Confucian philosopher and statesman, the principal architect of the imperial Confucianism that, under his recommendation to the emperor Wu, became the ideological foundation of the Han bureaucratic state and shaped Chinese political life for two millennia. His Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals systematically integrated the Spring and Autumn moral history into a cosmology of yin and yang and the five phases, in which the actions of the ruler were continuously read by Heaven through portents and natural signs. His correlative cosmology dominated Chinese intellectual life until the Song-dynasty Neo-Confucian revival nearly a millennium later.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Chinese
- Era
- Ancient
- Movements
- Confucianism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Dong Zhongshu:
“Heaven, Earth, and Man are three aspects of one continuous order.”
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Attributed to Dong Zhongshu:
“When the ruler is unjust, Heaven sends warnings before it sends punishments.”
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Attributed to Dong Zhongshu:
“Confucianism is the proper philosophy of empire; the other schools are partial.”
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Attributed to Dong Zhongshu:
“What men call portents are the conversation of Heaven with the throne.”
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Attributed to Dong Zhongshu:
“The sage emperor is the heart in which Heaven and Earth meet.”
Frequently asked about Dong Zhongshu
- When did Dong Zhongshu live?
- Dong Zhongshu was born in 179 BC and died in 104 BC.
- Where was Dong Zhongshu from?
- Dong Zhongshu was a Chinese philosopher of the Ancient era.
- What philosophical movements is Dong Zhongshu associated with?
- Dong Zhongshu was associated with Confucianism.
- What was Dong Zhongshu known for?
- Dong Zhongshu was a Chinese Han-dynasty Confucian philosopher and statesman, the principal architect of the imperial Confucianism that, under his recommendation to the emperor Wu, became the ideological foundation of the Han bureaucratic state and shaped Chinese political life for two millennia.
- How many quotes are attributed to Dong Zhongshu?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Dong Zhongshu in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.