Zhou Dunyi 1017 – 1073
Zhou Dunyi was a Chinese Confucian philosopher of the Northern Song dynasty and one of the founding figures of the Neo-Confucian tradition that would culminate in Zhu Xi. His Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate, a brief but profoundly influential text, presented a cosmogonic account in which the Supreme Ultimate gives rise to yin and yang, the five elements, and the myriad things, while the sage realizes the unity of the cosmos through sincerity. He held minor offices and devoted himself principally to teaching, including the young Cheng brothers.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Chinese
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Confucianism
Selected quotes
-
Attributed to Zhou Dunyi:
“The Supreme Ultimate gives rise to yin and yang, and from these the myriad things proceed.”
-
Attributed to Zhou Dunyi:
“Sincerity is the foundation of sagehood.”
-
Attributed to Zhou Dunyi:
“Without desire, the mind is at rest.”
-
Attributed to Zhou Dunyi:
“The sage takes heaven and earth as his model.”
-
Attributed to Zhou Dunyi:
“The way of the gentleman lies in being sincere with himself.”