the most important philosopher and educator of the period of development of *Neo-Confucianism during the Southern Song Dynasty. In his youth he studied with his father, who held a minor government office. In 1148 he passed the *//jinshi// examination, receiving his Metropolitan Graduate degree, and was appointed District Assistant Magistrate (//xianzhi bu//) in the years 1153–1156. During this period he became *Li Tong's student, and thus he came, for the first time, into contact with the teachings of the *Cheng brothers and other founders of the new doctrine. In the period of the pacifist policy towards the *Jurchen invaders from the North, Zhu Xi resigned from public offices and he withdrew, for fifteen years (1163–1178), into a seclusion (*//jushi//) in his residence in the Fujian Province. At that time, his most important studies on *Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism were published. He first compiled the //Surviving Works of the Chengs of Henan (Henan Chengshi yishu)//, a collection that played an important role in asserting the teachings of the Cheng brothers as the centrepiece of Neo-Confucianism. Then he wrote the //Explanation of the Meaning of the ‘Western Inscription’// (//Ximing jieyi//) elevating *Zhang Zai to a key position in the formulation of Neo-Confucianism. This was followed by his editing and commentating on *Zhou Dunyi's work //Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate// (//Taiji tu shuo//) and his collaboration with *Lü Zuqian in compiling the //Reflections on Things at Hand// (//Jinsi lu//), an important Neo-Confucian anthology that established the *orthodox teachers and teachings. In 1177 he finished his //Collected Commentaries on the Analects// (//Lun yu jizhu//) and //Collected Commentaries on the Book of Mencius// (//Mengzi jizhu//). These were published together in 1190 as part of the //Collected Commentaries on the Four Books in Chapters and Verses// (//Sishu zhangju jizhu//), a Confucian textbook used for the past seven centuries. Still in this period of retirement Zhu Xi interacted with his contemporary Confucians. The most famous episode was his encounter with *Lu Jiuyuan in 1175, namely, the *Goose Lake debate, one of the most famous philosophical debates in Chinese history. In 1179 Chu Hsi accepted a position as Prefect of the Nankang Military Prefecture in Jiangxi. In this office he had to build a temple in honour of Zhou Dunyi and reopened the *White Deer Grotto Academy. It soon became a center for Neo-Confucian study and a model for the development of private academies *//shuyuan// as one of the main vehicles for Neo-Confucian education. For his critical attitude towards various officials he was several times demoted, in the years 1182–1190. In 1190 he was again appointed as a Prefect, this time in Fujian. Zhu Xi was demoted again in 1196 due to general condemnation of Neo-Confucian teachings. The teachings of the Cheng brothers were banned and Zhu Xi was considered to be a dangerous figure spreading *heterodoxy (//weixue//). Shortly before his death he was accused by the Censor of a series of crimes and demoted to a commoner. Nevertheless, in his funeral took part nearly a thousand people. After his death he was rehabilitated, in 1241 conferred the honorary title Wengong (Cultured Duke), and the table with his name was placed in the *Confucius Temple in Qufu. His commentated edition of the *Four Books (//sishu//) had become the standard text for education in China by 1313 and continued to play a central role throughout East Asia into the twentieth century. Zhu Xi is not so much known for his creation of Neo-Confucian teachings as for his achievement in synthesizing a number of trends and individual thoughts, particularly those of the *Five Early Song Masters, into a complete system of Neo-Confucianism. Zhu Xi’s role led to the general designation of the mainstream Song Learning as the *Cheng-Zhu School until there appeared a split within the Neo-Confucian tradition. The central teachings from the Cheng brothers to Zhu Xi stressed the conception of *Principle (//li//), the understanding of nature (//xing//), and the role of the heart-mind (//xin//). It emphasized the tradition of the Way (*//Daotong//), from the ancient sages (*//shenren//) through *Confucius and *Mencius to the Song teachers. Zhu Xi developed his philosophy from the Cheng brothers’ teachings of Principle, regarding //li// or //Tianli// (Principle of Heaven) as the underlying moral unity of all things in the universe, hence the highest philosophical category. To describe further the absolute form of Principle, Zhu Xi identified it with Zhou Dunyi’s notion of Great Ultimate (*//taiji//), and so he made it the starting point of his philosophy. Zhu Xi emphasized the process of learning as laid out in the *Great Learning (//Da xue//). Chu Hsi understood learning and self-cultivation primarily as an externally oriented process, whose goal is the acquisition of the knowledge about Principle as it exists in things. While most Neo-Confucians accepted his reworking, his chief adversary in the *Ming period, *Wang Yangming, the representative of the *School of Heart-Mind (//xinxue//), suggested instead that the text should begin with rectification of the heart-mind (//zhengxin//), a far more internally-oriented process. Zhu Xi’s School of Principle was elevated to the *orthodoxy of Confucianism in the Ming and *Qing eras. His writings number above a hundred, some of which are included in the //Collection of Literary Works by Master Zhu// (//Zhuzi wenji//). His oral teachings were recorded in the //Conversations of Master Zhu, Arranged Topically// (//Zhuzi yulei//). As the chief interpreter of the Confucian *canon, Zhu Xi has a great influence throughout East Asia. His teachings and style of study have attracted generations of scholars in Japan, especially during the *Tokugawa period. *Zhu Xi School had considerable influence in Japan, as well as in Korea, where in the 14th century became the main direction of Confucian teachings. (Vladimír Liščák)