Dai Zhen

Abstract

<p>Dai Zhen 戴震 (1724–1777), also known by his courtesy name Dai Dongyuan 戴東原, was a highly accomplished scholar of the Qianlong-Jiaqing era of the Qing dynasty. His expertise encompassed a wide range of fields, including philology, phonology, mathematics, astronomy, ancient institutions, geography, chorography, and philosophy. Although his contributions to other disciplines were recognized during his lifetime, his philosophy was not widely acknowledged. Despite this, his ideas significantly influenced philosophically-minded interpreters of the Confucian <em>Analects</em> and the <em>Mencius</em>, notably Jiao Xun 焦循 (1763–1820), who frequently referenced Dai’s works in his influential book, <em>Mengzi Zhengyi</em> 孟子正義 (<em>The Correct Meaning of the Mencius</em>). In the early twentieth century, prominent intellectuals such as Zhang Taiyan 章太炎 (1869–1936), Liu Shipei 劉師培 (1884–1919), Liang Qichao 梁啟超 (1873–1929), and Hu Shi 胡適 (1891–1962) revived interest in Dai’s ideas. Since then, Dai has been widely regarded as the premier ethical, psychological, and metaphysical thinker of the mid-Qing dynasty.<br></p>