@article{ART003290803},
author={xukexin and AN CHANSOON},
title={A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought},
journal={Journal of Chinese Language and Literature},
issn={1225-083X},
year={2025},
number={100},
pages={33-54},
doi={10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33}
TY - JOUR
AU - xukexin
AU - AN CHANSOON
TI - A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought
JO - Journal of Chinese Language and Literature
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 100
PB - Chinese Literary Society Of Yeong Nam
SP - 33
EP - 54
SN - 1225-083X
AB - This study examines how Han Yu's “Five Originals” series embodies and applies the pre-Qin Confucian concept of “rectification of names.” As a central figure in the Mid-Tang Classical Prose Movement, Han Yu sought to reconstruct Confucian moral order by tracing the philosophical “origins” of ethical and political categories, while countering Buddhist and Daoist influences.
The essence of “original-style prose” lies in its pursuit of fundamental principles through conceptual clarification. Han Yu employed logical methods of classification and differentiation - as seen in his “Three Grades of Human Nature” in Yuan Xing and his definition of the Confucian Way through “benevolence” and “righteousness” in Yuan Dao - to establish conceptual clarity and normative unity, realizing the Confucian ideal of “rectifying names to rectify governance.” His style synthesized the precision of pre-Qin philosophical discourse with the elegance of classical prose, transforming linguistic rectification into an act of moral reconstruction.
The influence of this genre proved enduring. Northern Song scholars like Shi Jie and Ouyang Xiu revered his works, while Southern Song Neo-Confucians like Zhu Xi incorporated them into the orthodox “transmission of the Way.” Through the imperial examination system, the argumentative mode of original-style prose became a model for literati rhetorical training, shaping subsequent academic writing.
In conclusion, Han Yu's original-style prose provided both linguistic methodology and moral philosophical framework for the Confucian revival, bridging literature and philosophy while anticipating the development of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, thus establishing itself as a milestone in the history of Chinese prose and intellectual thought.
KW - 韩愈(Han Yu);原体文(original-style prose;yuan ti wen);原道(Yuan Dao);正名思想(rectification of names;zheng;ming);逻辑Confucian;logic)
DO - 10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
ER -
xukexin and AN CHANSOON. (2025). A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought. Journal of Chinese Language and Literature, 100, 33-54.
xukexin and AN CHANSOON. 2025, "A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought", Journal of Chinese Language and Literature, no.100, pp.33-54. Available from: doi:10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
xukexin, AN CHANSOON "A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought" Journal of Chinese Language and Literature 100 pp.33-54 (2025) : 33.
xukexin, AN CHANSOON. A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought. 2025; 100 : 33-54. Available from: doi:10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
xukexin and AN CHANSOON. "A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought" Journal of Chinese Language and Literature no.100(2025) : 33-54.doi: 10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
xukexin; AN CHANSOON. A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought. Journal of Chinese Language and Literature, 100, 33-54. doi: 10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
xukexin; AN CHANSOON. A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought. Journal of Chinese Language and Literature. 2025; 100 33-54. doi: 10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
xukexin, AN CHANSOON. A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought. 2025; 100 : 33-54. Available from: doi:10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
xukexin and AN CHANSOON. "A Study on Han Yu's “Original-Style Prose” and Its Reception of the “Rectification of Names” Thought" Journal of Chinese Language and Literature no.100(2025) : 33-54.doi: 10.15792/clsyn..100.202512.33
