Unifying Empathy over Predetermined Unity: Jiao Xun 焦循 (1763–1820) on the “Unifying Thread” of Confucius’ Teachings

This article analyses an innovative reinterpretation of Analects 4/15 by the mid-Qing Confucian scholar Jiao Xun 焦循 (1763–1820), in his Comprehensive Explanation of the Analects (Lunyu tongshi 論語通釋) written in 1803. According to Jiao, the “unifying thread” (yiguan 一貫) of Confucius’ teachings had been misunderstood by generations of scholars, for whom it served as a sort of pre-defined standard against which to disparage differing philosophical perspectives. Jiao condemns such a tendency, arguing that it goes against the original intentions of Confucius and represents a hindrance to the interconnectedness with others that he considers to be the basis of Confucian values. Identifying the “unifying thread” with this very interconnectedness, Jiao argues that it is only by overcoming self-interest that one is able to develop the cognitive and moral capacity to place the other at the center of humanness and consideration.