王陽明“四句教”淺析

Abstract

The four dicta (siju jiao 四句敎) which Wang Yangming formulated in his late period of life represent the central tenets of his whole thoughts. The four dicta were mostly analyzed from the perspective of ontology or focusing on the practice of ontology; however, these approaches do not clearly illuminate Wang Yangming’s thoughts. Wang considers the four dicta as the truth which “encompasses the below and the above.” However, Qian Dehong, one of Wang’s students, only focuses on the below: the importance of practical action. In contrast, Wang Ji, another student of Wang, only emphasizes the above: the importance of recognizing the ontology. Thus, neither Qian Dehong nor Wang Ji fully clarifies Wang Yangming’s thoughts. However, as the students who followed Wang for the longest time, their understandings of the four dicta are more profound than others, and thus we can understand Wang Yangming’s thoughts most clearly through an analysis of their explanations.