중국 유학사에 나타난 ‘絜矩’ 함의 연변 고찰 —鄭玄과 朱熹를 중심으로

Abstract

The main points of Daxue (大學, Great Learning) are Three Doctrines (三綱領) and Eight Categories (八條目) and the essence is integrated as ‘Xieju (絜矩, understanding others in light of my mind).’ In other words, ‘Xieju’ is the key of governing a country and pacifying the world (治 國平天下), which is closely related with ‘illustrious virtue (明德)’ of the Three Doctrines. Depending on the difference in recognizing the ‘illustrious virtue’ in Han dynasty (漢代), Zheng Xuan and Zhu Xi presents different interpretations of ‘Xieju’ and the letter ‘Du (獨, privacy)’ of the term ‘Shendu (慎獨, retraining in privacy).’ As to ‘Xieju (絜矩)’ notion, Zheng Xuan interpreted ‘Jie (絜)’ as ‘Jie (結)’ and ‘Ju (矩)’ as ‘Fa (法).’ It means Zheng Xuan defined ‘Jieju (結矩)’ as norms that a politician must follow. The politician must recognize it as illustrious virtue achieved through learning and; consequently have illustrious virtue to brighten up the rules of reward over goodness and punishment over evil (賞善 罰惡) and a great cause of impartiality. Politician must have those qualities to govern a country and pacify the world, which is annotation of ‘Jieju’ by Zheng Xuan. Zhu Xi, on the other hand, annotated ‘Xieju’ as ‘universal human mind extended to understand objects (因其所同, 推而度物).’ The term ‘universal human mind (因其所同)’ is the meaning of the first noumenon, in other words, human heart that every single person has in their soul and even involves the meaning of its effective point where governing a country and pacifying the world is reached through Xieju. Thus, literal meaning and implications of Xieju presented by Zhu Xi tend to be more expansive and internalized that those of Zheng Xuan. In other words, ‘Xieju’ by Zhu Xi involves meanings both of ‘main body and action.’ It tended to be abstract and internalized as its meaning expanded under the influence of Neo-Confucianism during Song period, which has greatly affected the history of Confucianism later on.