Wang Fuzhi's Complete Commentary on the Four Books: The Doctrine of the Mean

In Wang Fuzhi's monumental scholarly work, Explanations of the Complete Compendium of the Four Books, his interpretation of The Doctrine of the Mean is distinctive and illuminated by wisdom, offering later generations profound insights into understanding the text.

Wang Fuzhi lived during the transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty. The upheaval of the times led him to reflect deeply on the traditional classics. In interpreting The Doctrine of the Mean, he upheld a materialist viewpoint and criticized the idealist tendencies of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. For example, in explaining "What Heaven has imparted is called nature; following this nature is called the Way; cultivating the Way is called instruction," Wang Fuzhi argued that "nature" is the principle by which Heaven nurtures all things, residing within the human form and appearance, and is the general name for what Heaven imparts to humanity. He emphasized that nature is closely connected to Heaven's decree: human nature comes from Heaven, and by receiving Heaven's will, people transform its decree into human nature, thereby achieving inner transcendence. This differs from Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucian interpretations of nature, the Way, and Heaven's decree, placing greater emphasis on the direct connection between Heaven and humanity and on their continuity in reality.

As for the meaning of "the Mean," Wang Fuzhi proposed that "the Mean is the substance, and the ordinary is its function." He held that "the Mean" is the great foundation of the world: it is impartiality before emotions arise, and the avoidance of excess or deficiency once they do. Whether it is the state before joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure arise, or the expression of those feelings in due measure, both reflect the nature of "the Mean" as substance. "The ordinary," meanwhile, is the application of "the Mean": its concrete expression in everyday life, moral practice, and social governance, the circulation and enactment of "the Mean." The cultivated gentleman's preservation and examination of his nature, as well as the sage's transformative influence and ceaseless flow, are all examples of "the ordinary"