On “One-Continuity” in Jiang Qing’s Confucian Thought

Abstract

Jiang Qing has established the concept of “Political Confucianism” in recent years, expounded its characteristics as distinct from “Mind Confucianism”, and argued for its irreplaceability and irreducibility. The understanding of this concept is imperative for a thorough study of Confucianism. But does the distinction between Political Confucianism and Mind Confucianism lead to a separation of the two? If we do not agree to separate them, does it mean that we must “unite” them in some particular way, such as “from inner sageliness (Nei Sheng) to outer kingliness (Wai Wang)”? Does such “unity” really conform to the Confucian ideal of “One-Continuity” (yi yi guan zhi)? Does it really conform to the traditional Confucian thought of “Oneness of Substance and Function” (ti yong bu er)? In this chapter I show how Qing’s distinction between Political Confucianism and Mind Confucianism as well as his understanding of the idea “from inner sageliness to outer kingliness” does not lead to incoherence, but rather to a unity that properly exemplifies the “One-Continuity” of a coherent Confucianism.