理学史公案《朱子晚年定论》平议

儒学发展到北宋出现新的变化。新儒学者们探求儒学经典义理，发现真正的儒家之道，当时称新儒学为“道学”。南宋中期道学分为两派，以朱熹为代表的理学和以陆九渊为代表的心学，在“遵德性”与“道问学”的治学途径方面发生分歧，致有“朱陆异同”之争。明代中期王阳明发挥心学，创立“致良知”之说，学术界再次发生理学与心学之争。王阳明为平息与调和争论，认为朱熹于晚年对其曾从事的传注训释的治学方法感到悔悟，同于心学之旨，亦合于“致良知”之说，遂编著《朱子晚年定论》。此论虽受到学术界的批评，却有助于阳明学之盛行。然而朱熹与友人的书简中偶有表示于“尊德性”工夫的欠缺，但这属偶然自谦之辞，在其去世前数年犹致力于儒家经典和其他典籍的训释考证，并不存在悔悟之事。《朱子晚年定论》在事实上不能成立，而借此欲调和或会通“朱陆”与“朱王”则属于主观的勉强牵合，于学理上也是难以成立的。

A Fair Discussion on the Official Case of the History of Neo Confucianism: The Conclusion of Zhu Zi's Later Years

New changes appeared in the development of Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty. Neo Confucianists explored Confucian classics and found the true Confucian way, which they called "Taoism" at that time. In the middle of the Southern Song Dynasty, Taoism was divided into two schools: one is Neo Confucianism represented by Zhu Xi, and the other is philosophy of mind represented by Lu Jiuyuan. The two had differences in the ways of "moral compliance" and "inquiry learning by Tao", resulting in dispute of "similarities and differences between Zhu and Lu". In the middle of Ming Dynasty, Wang Yangming gave play to the theory of philosophy of mind and founded the theory of "ideal personality", and the dispute between Neo Confucianism and philosophy of mind occurred again in the academic circle. In order to calm and reconcile the debate, Wang Yangming pointed out that Zhu Xi repented of his scholarly methods of preaching, annotation and interpretation in his later years, which was consistent with the purpose of psychology of mind and the theory of "ideal personality", so he compiled The Conclusion of Zhu Xi's Later Years. Although this theory has been criticized in academic circles, it contributes to the prevalence of Yangming studies. However, Zhu Xi and his friends occasionally expressed the lack of study to "moral compliance" in their letters, of course this was an accidental self modesty. A few years before his death, he was still committed to the interpretation and textual research of Confucian classics and other classics without repentance. The Conclusion of Zhu Zi's Later Years can not hold water in fact, neither can be established as an academic theory, even though it is the desire to reconcile or connect "Zhu Lu" and "Zhu Wang" subjectively and reluctantly.