Xingli zongyao 性理綜要

Xingli zongyao 性理綜要 “Essentials about human character and the Heavenly principle” is a compendium on Neo-Confucian thought compiled during the late Ming period by Zhan Huai 詹淮, courtesy name Baishan 柏山, from Xin’an 新安 (today’s Bao’an 寶安, Guangdong), and revised by Chen Renxi 陳仁錫, courtesy name Mingqing 明卿, from Changzhou 長洲 (today part of Suzhou 蘇州, Jiangsu). Chen was a junior compiler (bianxiu 編修) of the Hanlin Academy, and rose to the position of 南京國子祭酒. He wrote the books 《易經頌》、《重訂古周禮》、《四書考》、《史品赤函》、《古文奇賞》等書. The compendium has a length of 22 juan is based on some earlier texts with similar topics, yet because Zhan felt that these books on the human character and its relation to the Heavenly principle were too brief, he compiled a more comprehensive book. Chen Renxi later on added some more statements on Zhan’s original version. The oldest print of the book was published by a private printshop, but Chen added in is version some marks to make reading easier.