Zhu Xi and the Development of Confucian Environmental Virtue Ethics

The main purpose of Zhu Xi's theory is to cultivate oneself and perfect his morality. Zhu Xi believed that the moral care for animals, insects, plants and others' life was related to the cultivation of human virtues. Zhu Xi reformed the Confucian thoughts of "becoming oneself" and "becoming things", and held that the cultivation method of Confucianism — to seek knowledge from things means starting from their own nature, following cognizant principles of the out-things, "acting according to their principles" and combining internal and external principles, "cutting Yang (exposed to the sun) wood in mid-summer, cutting Yin (shady) wood in mid-winter", "Don't cut a tree and kill an animal when it's not the right time", carrying out "time prohibition" and following the Confucian environmental ethics. Zhu Xi believed that saints helped the heaven to realize the function of "let life be born" and "let life grow". From the perspective of self-cultivation and self-improvement, Zhu Xi transformed and integrated the traditional Confucian environmental politics and moral thought, and formed a complete Confucian environmental virtue ethics.