What views did Gu put forward on Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties?

Gu, the founder of textual research in Qing dynasty, was an outstanding thinker in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Gu (16 13 ~ 1682), whose real name is Jiang, put forward the slogan "Confucian classics are Neo-Confucianism" in the Song and Ming Dynasties. He "learned from the past", advocated practical learning, hated empty talk, and demanded that Confucianism be regarded as "the source of chaos control in the country and the fundamental plan of the people." He pointed out that there was no pure Neo-Confucianism in the Confucius and Mencius era, and Neo-Confucianism was originally Confucian classics. This tradition continued until the Han Dynasty, when Confucian scholars paid attention to the exegesis of famous things, but they still did not break away from the purpose of practical use. It was only in Song Confucianism's obsession with classics that it was possible to talk about righteousness, and even in the Ming Dynasty, it developed to the extent of "ignoring books and talking about rootlessness". He denounced Wang Xue's "The Last Stream" as "leaving the four seas helpless and poor, but talking about danger all day". In his view, Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties became empty because it accepted Zen Buddhism and left the Confucian tradition of practical learning.

Ancient statue