HAN YU AND LIU ZONG-YUAN——A Contrastive Study of Their Philosophical,Political and Literary Ideas

Han Yu and Liu Zong-yuan were the two celebrated philosophers,government officials and men of literary renown in the middle and late Tang dynasty.In terms of philosophical points of view,they differed vastly from each other.In terms of politics,they have different ideas while they shared something in common.In literature,they were the leading figures in advocating the style of Chinese prose used in Qin and Han dynasties(about 221 B.C.—220 A.D.).The two were forerunners of Neo-confucianism.But Han Yu was more influential,as he strongly defended the Confucian orthodoxy and resisted Buddhism,which met the ruling class's needs to consolidate their rule.Liu Zong-yuan,however,excelled Han Yu in philosophical and political notions.