| Abstract |
Dai Zhen(戴震) reconstructs Confucianism with the approach of Qi(氣), in which Meng Zi’s(孟子) idea of body is renewed. His Qi-approach presupposes holistic naturalism, where Li(理) and Qi(氣) are inseparable, and deconstructs the metaphysical dichotomy in Neo-Confucianism of Cheng Yi(程頤) and Zhu Xi(朱熹). The notion of Li in Dai Zhen’s interpretation of Pre-Qin Confucianism is different from that in Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, which represents a norm beyond human being. Dai Zhen claims that the necessity of norm is intrinsic to Nature; Li must not be detached from desire(欲). For Dai Zhen, Qi-body is not a concept opposed to spirit; in the same fashion desire is not against reason. Necessary principle exists in Qi-body by nature; hence the reasonable desire is just the reason itself.
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