Cause & Context
Following the collapse of Han Confucian scholasticism amid bloody political purges, literati sought ontological truth and existential refuge from rigid orthodoxy.
Epochal Overview
Wang Bi and He Yan formulated Neo-Daoist metaphysics prioritizing 'Non-being' (Wu), while the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove celebrated personal autonomy, pure philosophical conversation (Qingtan), and nature.
Key Figures
Philosopher Wang Bi reinterpreted the Daodejing and Yijing; Ji Kang embodied unyielding integrity through his final performance of *Guangling San*; Ruan Ji expressed deep existential anguish in poetry.
Civilizational Impact
Neo-Daoist metaphysics stimulated an unprecedented philosophical awakening, liberating literature, calligraphy, and landscape painting to establish the enduring aesthetic ethos known as 'Wei-Jin Spirit' (魏晋风度).