王阳明

Wang Yangming

Confucianism ·

Wang Yangming was a Ming-dynasty Confucian thinker associated with the School of Mind, liangzhi, and the unity of knowing and acting.

Wáng Yángmíng

What Are the Key Facts About Wang Yangming?

  • Tradition: Confucianism
  • Chinese: 王阳明
  • Category:
  • Definition: Wang Yangming was a Ming-dynasty Confucian thinker associated with the School of Mind, liangzhi, and the unity of knowing and acting.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wang Yangming

What is liangzhi?

Liangzhi names a capacity for moral discernment and response, not a store of factual knowledge held in the mind.

Was Wang Yangming's name Yangming?

Wang Shouren was his personal name; Yangming is the later name under which he became widely known.

How should the Four Sentence Teaching be understood?

The Four Sentence Teaching has received multiple interpretations and should be read within the later history of Wang Yangming's school rather than as a context-free creed.

Sources and Limits

Further Reading