Zhu Xi

Zhu Xi (1130–1200), courtesy name Yuanhui and style name Hui'an, was a native of Wuyuan in Huizhou during the Southern Song dynasty and was born in Youxi, Fujian. A thinker of lasting influence in ancient China, he is regarded as the great synthesizer of Song Neo-Confucianism. Building on the Cheng brothers, he developed a philosophical system centered on the concept of li (principle), while also devoting himself to classical scholarship and literature. His Collected Annotations on the Four Books became the standard text for the imperial examinations from the Yuan dynasty onward, shaping intellectual and educational life in China and East Asia for centuries. The library holds twenty-one of his works, including commentaries on the Analects, the Mencius, the Book of Songs, and the Book of Changes, as well as writings on ancient poetry and literary appreciation. These works show a scholar who valued both philosophical principle and literary expression, and whose careful, plain annotations have deeply influenced later reading of the classics.