Abstract
Lu Xun's firm critique of Confucianism is well known, yet framing their relationship as strictly oppositional overlooks its complexity. A deeper exploration requires overcoming disciplinary limitations and rejecting narrow views that either measure Lu Xun through Confucian standards or Confucius through Lu Xun's critique. Instead, a sympathetic investigation into their respective historical contexts and the rationale behind their ideas reveals a more nuanced connection. Moreover, research should advance from purely historical or empirical methods to a theoretical cultural perspective, uniting their diverse intellectual stances and reconciling their historical roles. This approach reveals that Lu Xun's disagreements with Confucius occur within the realm of “second-order Dao,” a plane of conflicting ideas and doctrines. At the more fundamental level of “first-order Dao,” representing the core of Chinese humanistic spirit, their underlying spiritual logic aligns rather than diverges. Both figures reflect and embody the Chinese national ethos of resilience, vitality, and self-reliance. Their intellectual and historical roles converge in the shared inner dynamics of Chinese cultural evolution, driven by renewal, innovation, and the adaptation of tradition to new circumstances.
Keywords
Lu Xun, critique of Confucianism, misreading, spiritual logic
First Page
13
Last Page
21
Recommended Citation
Yuan, Shaochong. . "Misreading in Lu Xun's Critique of Confucianism: The Intersecting Spiritual Logic of Two Traditions." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (4): pp.13-21. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss4/2
