Weiyuan

A Chinese thinker in the late Qing dynasty. His pen name was Mu Shen. He was from Shaoyang County, Hunan Province. He was a Jinshi in 1845 (the 25th year of the Daoguang era). At a young age, he was active as a friend of Tao Shu (1779-1839) and Lin Zexu, among other reformist officials, and participated in the Opium Wars. In his later years, he fought against the Taiping Rebellion. He initially studied Chinese and Song studies, but later studied under Liu Fenglu and made the Spring and Autumn Gongyang study the basis of his own academic studies. However, he placed more importance on the teachings of Dong Zhongshu, who advocated the Great Righteousness in Weiyen, than on the teachings of He Xiu, which Liu Fenglu held in high esteem. This stems from the Western Han modern literature recognition that the Western Han's study of classics was superior to that of the Eastern Han. This awareness can be commended by classics works such as "Poetry Ancient," "Book Ancient," "Gongyang Ancient," and "Spring and Autumn Annals of Luo Zhu." In addition, the academic style of Jingshi-based practical use that emphasized subtle words and the greater good, combined with the influence of the tense social situation in China at the time, such as the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion, produced excellent political treatises such as "Records of Shengwu" (history of the Qing dynasty) and "Haiguo Tuzhi" (an introduction to overseas affairs).

In particular, "Kaikoku Zushi" was reprinted in Japan and influenced such patriots of the late Edo period as Sakuma Shozan and Yoshida Shoin. His argument that things should be understood objectively and practically, and that this should be applied concretely to politics in order to change reality was ahead of his time. His academic field also extended to the pre-Qin school of thought and Buddhism. His collection of writings includes "Kobidoshu."

[Nobutoshi Ishiguro March 18, 2016]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、清(しん)代後期の思想家。字(あざな)は黙深。湖南省邵陽(しょうよう)県の人。1845年（道光25）の進士。若くして陶澍(とうじゅ)（1779―1839）、林則徐(りんそくじょ)ら改革派高官の幕友として活躍、アヘン戦争にも参加し、晩年は太平天国の乱軍とも戦った。彼は最初漢学と宋(そう)学を学んだが、のち劉逢禄(りゅうほうろく)に師事して春秋公羊(くよう)学を自己の学問的基盤とした。しかし、彼は劉逢禄の重んずる何休(かきゅう)の学説よりも、微言大義を説く董仲舒(とうちゅうじょ)の所説を重視した。それは、後漢(ごかん)の経学よりも前漢のそれのほうが優れているという西漢今文(きんぶん)学的認識に基因する。この意識は『詩古微(しこび)』『書古微』『公羊古微』『春秋繁露注』などの経学的諸作によって表彰されうる。また、微言大義を重視する経世致用的な学風は、アヘン戦争、太平天国の乱など当時の中国の緊迫した社会情勢の影響も相まって、『聖武記』（清朝の歴史）、『海国図志』（海外諸事情の紹介）などの優れた政治論を生んだ。

　とくに、『海国図志』は日本でも翻刻(ほんこく)され、佐久間象山(さくましょうざん)、吉田松陰(よしだしょういん)らの幕末の志士に影響を与えた。事物を客観的、実践的に把握し、それを具体的に政治に応用して、現実を変革すべきであると説く点は、時流を抜く観がある。彼の学問的領域は、先秦(せんしん)諸子、仏教にも及んでいる。文集に『古微堂集』がある。

［石黒宣俊　2016年3月18日］

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