CHANG TSAI

born 1020, Ch'ang-an, China died 1077, China Pinyin Zhang Zai, Wade-Giles romanization Chang Heng-ch' realist philosopher of the Sung dynasty, a leader in giving Neo-Confucianism a metaphysical and epistemological foundation. The son of a magistrate, Chang studied Buddhism and Taoism but found his true inspiration in the Confucian Classics. In his chief work, Cheng-meng (Correct Discipline for Beginners), he declared that the universe is a unity, with myriad aspects, and all existence is an eternal integration and disintegration. Ch'i (matter) is identified with the Great Ultimate, the ultimate reality. When ch'i is influenced by yang (male) elements, it floats and rises, dispersing its substance. When the yin (female) element is prevalent, ch'i sinks and falls, thus condensing and forming the concrete things of the material world. In the realm of ethics, the one basic virtue is jen (humaneness), but in its various manifestations (i.e., in various human relations) jen becomes many things: filial piety toward parents or respect for an elder brother. Man was once ch'i, like all other aspects of the universe, and he has an original nature that is one with all the things of the world. His physical nature, however, derives from the physical form into which his ch'i has been dispersed. Moral self-cultivation consists in man's attempting to do his duty as a member of society and as a member of the universe. He does not try to prolong or extend his life. The superior man understands that life entails no gain nor death any loss. Chang influenced some of the most eminent later Neo-Confucian thinkers; the brothers Ch'eng Hao (103285) and Ch'eng I (10331107) were his pupils. His theory of mind was adopted by the great philosopher Chu Hsi (11301200), and Wang Fu-chih (161992) developed Chang's philosophy into a system that has recently come to be recognized as one of the major achievements of Chinese thought.