Abstract

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Title:: Intellectuals’ Views on the Relationship between Wen and Dao in Song Dynasties: Differences and Implications

Keywords:: Song Dynasties; traditional Confucians; relationship between wen and dao; value

Abstract:: Among intellectuals in the Song Dynasties, professional writers, traditional Confucians and scholars with a strong philosophical bent made up the major groups who explored the relationship between wen and dao. When examining the essence of the relationship between the two key notions in ancient Chinese traditional intellectual life, professional writers focused on such aspects of wen as its independence from dao as well as its unique function. Compared with the first group, traditional Confucians were more interested in how wen interacted with dao from the perspective of “root” vs. “derivative”. However, the third group held a paradoxical view on the relationship between wen and dao: on the one hand, the relationship was extended to cover that between the form and content of culture; on the other, wen was reduced to referring to literature in the modern sense. In addition, in their view, the independence of wen from dao was missing. Obliviously, such a conflicting view on the relationship between wen and dao was the effect of the views held by the other two groups of scholars.