Scholars › Philosopher / Thinker
Zhang Shi
Southern Song Neo-Confucian of the Hunan school, son of Zhang Jun, who taught at the Yuelu Academy and debated with Zhu Xi at Changsha in 1167
A thatched pavilion open on three sides stands among tall bamboo; one person sits with their back turned at the veranda rail beside a zither and a stack of bamboo slips, while a stone path runs to a calm pond reflecting clouds and distant hills.
Also known as Zi Jingfu · Hao Nanxuan · Nanxuan Xiansheng · Shi Xuan
Zhang Shi, courtesy name Jingfu or Qinfu, sobriquet Nanxuan, came from Mianzhu in Hanzhou and was the son of the chief minister Zhang Jun. He studied with Hu Hong, carrying on the Hunan school of learning, and later led teaching at the Yuelu Academy in Changsha. In 1167 Zhu Xi travelled from Fujian to see him, and the two debated for more than two months in what came to be called the Zhu-Zhang discussions. Entering office through his father's privilege, he was called to lecture to Emperor Xiaozong, whom he urged to distinguish right from profit, and later governed Guilin and Jiangling, tightening frontier defence and local administration. He died in office at Jiangling in 1180, aged forty-eight, and was named Xuan. Zhu Xi edited his collected works, and later scholars grouped him with Zhu Xi and Lu Zuqian as the Three Worthies of the Southeast.
Life and times
Dates 1133 CE–1180 CE