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<p>In the 1920s, in the context of the New Culture movement, G<span>u</span> Jiegang 顧頡剛 (1893–1980) initiated the Chinese current of “Doubting Antiquity,” which aimed at a depolitization of ancient scholarship and a restoration of its historical value. During this process, Y<span>ang</span> Zhu 楊朱 (allegedly around 400 BCE) entered Gu’s discussion and became an integral part of Gu’s reconstruction of the Daoist tradition. In Gu’s understanding, the master Y<span>ang</span> Zhu had long been seriously misunderstood and wrongly interpreted. In the context of the Doubting Antiquity movement, Gu’s specific methodology, which insists on the validity of textual sources and a meticulous study of related expressions and ideas in different texts, enables him to not only offer an interpretation of Y<span>ang</span> Zhu that stands out from all modern reconstructions, but also to reconstruct and redefine a Daoist lineage that originated from Y<span>ang</span> Zhu’s thought. This essay is divided into two parts. In the first part (Section 2), I present how Gu manages to include a variety of ancient sources in his discussion of Y<span>ang</span> Zhu and how he reinterprets Y<span>ang</span> Zhu’s theory. In the second part (Section 3), I demonstrate how he places Y<span>ang</span> Zhu in a network of lineages and connections, hence associating him with a philosophy that centered on the discussion of human nature.</p>

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The Wronged Master: Gu Jiegang’s Search for the Real Yang Zhu

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年4月5日

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  • Xiaowei Wang

摘要

In the 1920s, in the context of the New Culture movement, Gu Jiegang 顧頡剛 (1893–1980) initiated the Chinese current of “Doubting Antiquity,” which aimed at a depolitization of ancient scholarship and a restoration of its historical value. During this process, Yang Zhu 楊朱 (allegedly around 400 BCE) entered Gu’s discussion and became an integral part of Gu’s reconstruction of the Daoist tradition. In Gu’s understanding, the master Yang Zhu had long been seriously misunderstood and wrongly interpreted. In the context of the Doubting Antiquity movement, Gu’s specific methodology, which insists on the validity of textual sources and a meticulous study of related expressions and ideas in different texts, enables him to not only offer an interpretation of Yang Zhu that stands out from all modern reconstructions, but also to reconstruct and redefine a Daoist lineage that originated from Yang Zhu’s thought. This essay is divided into two parts. In the first part (Section 2), I present how Gu manages to include a variety of ancient sources in his discussion of Yang Zhu and how he reinterprets Yang Zhu’s theory. In the second part (Section 3), I demonstrate how he places Yang Zhu in a network of lineages and connections, hence associating him with a philosophy that centered on the discussion of human nature.