Neo-Confucianism (Chinese: 宋明理學; pinyin: Sòng-Míng lǐxué, often shortened to lǐxué 理學, literally "School of Principle") is the cultural revival of Confucianism as an ethical, social and religious system, which dominated Chinese philosophy from the 13th through the 19th century. Although its origin lie in the Tang dynasty, it was fully developed during the Song dynasty under the formulations of Zhu Xi (1130–1200), the tradition's central figure. Zhu, alongside Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao, comprises the dominant Cheng–Zhu school, in opposition to the later Lu–Wang school led by Wang Yangming and Lu Xiangshan.
Neo-Confucianism could have been an attempt to create a more rationalist and secular form of Confucianism by rejecting mystical elements of Taoism and Buddhism that had influenced Confucianism during and after the Han dynasty. Although the neo-Confucianists were critical of Taoism and Buddhism, the two did have an influence on the philosophy, and the neo-Confucianists borrowed terms and concepts. However, unlike the Buddhists and Taoists, who saw metaphysics as a catalyst for spiritual development, religious enlightenment, and immortality, the neo-Confucianists used metaphysics as a guide for developing a rationalist ethical philosophy. After the Mongol conquest of China in the thirteenth century, Chinese scholars and officials restored and preserved neo-Confucianism as a way to safeguard the cultural heritage of China.
