1130 – 1200
Zhu Xi (1130–1200) was the foremost Neo-Confucian philosopher of the Song dynasty, whose systematic synthesis of Confucian metaphysics, ethics, and cosmology became the dominant orthodoxy in East Asian thought for centuries. He developed the concept of li (principle) and qi (vital force) as the twin foundations of reality, and his commentaries on the Four Books became the basis of the imperial examination system from 1313 onward.
Synthesized Song-dynasty Neo-Confucianism into a coherent metaphysical system centered on li (principle) and qi (material force)
Compiled and commentated on the Four Books, which became the canonical curriculum of Chinese education for 600 years
Developed the concept of gewu (investigation of things) as the foundation of moral self-cultivation
Founded the Cheng-Zhu school, the dominant strand of Neo-Confucianism across China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam
Engaged critically with Buddhist and Daoist thought, reintegrating metaphysical concerns into a Confucian framework