ABSTRACT
Zhu Xi and Thomas Aquinas are comparable as the most important theorists of medieval Confucianism and Christianity when they asserted the orthodoxy by the systematization of their inherited cultural tradition. It will be interesting to compare their concept of discernment. Zhu Xi provided the theoretical framework of principle and energy for Neo-Confucian exposition and established the thesis of “human nature is the principle” as the theory of human nature. The Neo-Confucians insisted that everything in the universe is composed by the principle, which gives the reason of each thing, and energy, which gives life to every thing. Thomas Aquinas explains that prudentia is derived from Latin word “providere,” meaning looking ahead, and defines it as wisdom that enables one to make a good choice in an uncertain real situation. Among the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Thomas valued the gift of counsel, which functions effectively during the discerning process.
