Zhang Zai is a important character, who talks about Xing and Ming among the scholars of NeoConfucianism in the Song Dynasty. He tries to set up new theories on the basis of inheriting the thought of “Xing Shan” and “Li Ming” of Mencius, building up the theory of Xing Ming, which is independent. Zhang Zai thinks that Xing has its root and branch, that is, the root is “Tian Di Zhi Xing”, the branch is “Qi Zhi Zhi Xing”, and we can’t turn them upside down.In his earlier days, he divides the Ming into “De Ming” and “Qi Ming”, emphasizing that the former dominates the latter. He also thinks that “Tian Di Zhi Xing” corresponds to “De Ming”, while “Qi Zhi Zhi Xing” corresponds to “Qi Ming”. Further, he thinks that the goul of “Cheng Xing” corresponds to “Zhi Ming’s”, and “Cheng Xing” bases on the thought of “Tian Di Zhi Xing” instead of “Qi Zhi Zhi Xing”, thus, “Zhi Ming” takes “De Ming” as the goal instead of “Qi Ming”.Therefore, the efforts in “Cheng Xing” and “Zhi Ming” have their own individual characteristics. The value of the theory of Zhang Zai’s Xing Ming is that it emphasizes “the Morality and Xing Ming”, which can control our life direction, improving ourselves in the efforts of laying “Qiong Li” first instead of “Jin Xing”, letting our life advance.

Zhang Zai; the theory of Zhang Zai’s Xing Ming; Xing has its root and branch; Ming can be divided into “De Ming” and “Qi Ming”; “Zhi Ming”