@article{ART003215582},
author={GIL-SAN LEE},
title={Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries},
journal={인문논총 },
issn={2005-6222},
year={2025},
volume={67},
pages={143-165}
TY - JOUR
AU - GIL-SAN LEE
TI - Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries
JO - 인문논총
PY - 2025
VL - 67
IS - null
PB - Institute for Human studies, Kyungnam University
SP - 143
EP - 165
SN - 2005-6222
AB - This paper offers a philological reconstruction of the notion of “Two Roots” (二本) in Mengzi 5.5 by means of a close reading of the original text and Zhuxi’s three major exegetical works—Mengzi Jizhu, Mengzi Huowen, and Zhuzi Yulei. Traditional commentaries by Zhuxi construe “One Root” (一本) as the natural, unitary basis of affection grounded in the parent–child blood bond, whereas “Two Roots” denotes the internal division that arises when an external doctrine—exemplified here by Mohist universal love—is superimposed upon that natural foundation. Building on this framework, the present study reconstructs Mengzi’s rhetorical strategy as a form of “moral therapy” aimed at rectifying the disjunction between Yizhi’s (夷之) professed beliefs and actual practice. The article further critiques modern interpretations—most notably those of David S. Nivison and Kwongloi Shun—that read the passage through the lenses of moral psychology and related modern categories, arguing that such frameworks obscure the textual logic preserved in the classical commentarial tradition. By reinstating Zhuxi’s coherent conceptual architecture, the paper relocates the debate on 二本 to a more textually grounded and philosophically coherent framework.
KW - Mengzi(孟子);Yizhi(夷之);Zhuxi(朱熹);One roor(一本);David Nivison;Kwongloi Shun
DO -
UR -
ER -
GIL-SAN LEE. (2025). Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries. 인문논총 , 67, 143-165.
GIL-SAN LEE. 2025, "Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries", 인문논총 , vol.67, pp.143-165.
GIL-SAN LEE "Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries" 인문논총 67 pp.143-165 (2025) : 143.
GIL-SAN LEE. Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries. 2025; 67 143-165.
GIL-SAN LEE. "Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries" 인문논총 67(2025) : 143-165.
GIL-SAN LEE. Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries. 인문논총 , 67, 143-165.
GIL-SAN LEE. Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries. 인문논총 . 2025; 67 143-165.
GIL-SAN LEE. Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries. 2025; 67 143-165.
GIL-SAN LEE. "Revisiting Two Roots (二本): A Close Reading of Mengzi 5.5 and Its Classical Commentaries" 인문논총 67(2025) : 143-165.
