Definition
道学 (dào xué) is a term with two main threads. Historically, it refers to the Song-Ming rationalist Confucian movement known as Neo-Confucianism (理学), which focused on moral self-cultivation and the underlying 'principle' (理) of the universe. In modern colloquial usage, it often carries a derogatory tone, describing someone who is hypocritically moralistic, pedantic, and hidebound — like a rigid Confucian scholar. A rarer sense refers to the teachings of philosophical Daoism (道家). Context determines which meaning is intended.
n.
Neo-Confucianism (the Song-Ming rationalist school)(derogatory) affected moralitypedantic moralizing(less common) teachings of philosophical Daoism
Examples
- 道学。Sòngdài de dào xué jiā qiángdiào géwù zhì zhī.Neo-Confucian scholars of the Song dynasty emphasized investigating things to extend knowledge.
- 道学，。Tā zǒng shì yí fù dào xué miànkǒng, ràng rén shòu bùliǎo.He always puts on a pedantic moralizing face, which is unbearable.
- 道学。Zhè běn shū jiǎng de shì Lǎo-Zhuāng dào xué de héxīn lǐniàn.This book discusses the core ideas of Laozi and Zhuangzi's Daoist teachings.
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