Abstract
Xing is a philosophical concept that refers to the essential character of a thing. In the development of Chinese philosophy, however, different philosophers from different periods have endowed this concept with a great variety of different meanings. The different ideas that have been used to discuss it include life, good and bad, yinyang, vital energy, principle (li, 理), heart-mind, humaneness, righteousness, ritual propriety and wisdom, among innumerable others. The discussions on xing generally include its content, its genesis, its good or bad nature, the way it is manifested, the nature of humans or objects, among others. The problem of human nature, however, is the key content of the concept of xing.
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References
Lynn, Richard J. 1999. The Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-Te-Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi. New York: Columbia University Press.
Queen, Sarah A., and John S. Major 2016. Luxuriant Gems of the Spring and Autumn; Attributed to Dong Zhongshu, transl. Sarah A. Queen, and John S. Major. New York: Columbia University Press.
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Wang, Y., Bao, Q., Guan, G. (2020). Natural Tendencies (Xing, 性). In: History of Chinese Philosophy Through Its Key Terms. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2572-8_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-2572-8_6
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