An Inquiry of the Confucian “Inner Sage and Outer King”

Abstract

The concept of “inner sage and outer king” (neisheng waiwang 内圣外王) first appeared in Zhuangzi, later evolving to become the Confucian Way (Dao 道 ). Daoist sages and Confucian sages are inconsistent in terms of inner sage due to the fundamental starting point of their thoughts and the way of thinking and reasoning, and thus the ways of their inner sage have their own characteristics and are inseparable. Regarding outer king, Confucian sages are more proactively concerned with real politics and social life, and the way of the king is richer and stronger. Confucian “inner sage” and “outer king” take “body” as the coordinate, and the directions of force are different, one being inward while the other being outward, but the two are actual one, unified in the ideal personality of the saint. From a modern perspective, Confucian “inner sage and outer king” features historical rationality and realistic vitality, and constitutes our valuable thought resources for the creative transformation and development of the fine traditional Chinese culture nowadays. That said, it has its historical limitations.

Keywords

The concept of “inner sage and outer king” (neisheng waiwang 内圣外王) first appeared in Zhuangzi, later evolving to become the Confucian Way (Dao 道 ). Daoist sages and Confucian sages are inconsistent in terms of inner sage due to the fundamental starting point of their thoughts and the way of thinking and reasoning, and thus the ways of their inner sage have their own characteristics and are inseparable. Regarding outer king, Confucian sages are more proactively concerned with real politics and social life, and the way of the king is richer and stronger. Confucian “inner sage” and “outer king” take “body” as the coordinate, and the directions of force are different, one being inward while the other being outward, but the two are actual one, unified in the ideal personality of the saint. From a modern perspective, Confucian “inner sage and outer king” features historical rationality and realistic vitality, and constitutes our valuable thought resources for the creative transformation and development of the fine traditional Chinese culture nowadays. That said, it has its historical limitations.

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