Confucianism in the Six Dynasties

Abstract Did Confucianism truly lose its intellectual dominance during the Six Dynasties? Facing the increasing influence of Buddhism and Daoism represented by the coexistence of six types of people and three teachings, Confucianism sped up its reformation and renovation in this period. Experiencing the developmental stages of “Valuing Non-being” (贵无), the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove (竹林七贤) and “Exalting Being” (崇有), Confucian scholars integrated Daoist concepts like “Nature” and “Non-action” (无为) into the “Inner Sageliness and Outer Kingliness” (内圣外王) thought, forging a “inside Confucianism, external Daoism” theoretical framework. Simultaneously, Confucianism reconciled its ethical codes with Buddhist doctrines such as karma (cause and effect retribution) and reincarnation (cycle of life and death), which not only brought Buddhism into its framework, but also infused prospects and visions for afterlife into itself. By blending Daoist “profound virtues” with Buddhist “subtle profundity”, a nascent Confucian spiritual world emerged. The enduring commitment of the state and clans to ritual governance, coupled with the inherent Confucian identity of the literati, ensured that Confucianism could serve both political administration and spiritual solace. This expanded the passageway initiated by Dong Zhongshu, bridging the gap between mundane existence and the afterlife world. After centuries of refinement, the synthesis of the “Way of human society and Way of Heaven”, “life and governance”, and “temperament and moral law” reached its maturity. Consequently, “Human nature and the Way of Heaven” ascended as the central discourse of Confucianism.