ABSTRACT

Ling Ting-kan (Ling T’ing-k’an, 1757-1809) was the most eloquent exponent of the ritualist ethics of the “Han learning” classicists in the high Qing. However, his ethical philosophy has not received the attention it deserves, owing to the strong aversion to theorizing prevalent among these classicists. Hu Shi called Ling’s ethical teachings a “philosophy of ritual” (li) but regarded them as more exceptional than representative of high Qing Confucianism.