Traditional Chinese 鄭玄 IPA [tʂə̂ŋ ɕhěn] Simplified Chinese 郑玄 Gwoyeu Romatzyh Jenq Shyuan | Hanyu Pinyin Name Zheng Xuan Wade–Giles Cheng Hsuan Died 200 AD | |
 | ||
Zheng Xuan (127–200), courtesy name Kangcheng (康成), was an influential Chinese commentator and Confucian scholar near the end of the Han Dynasty. He was born in modern Weifang, Shandong, and was a student of Ma Rong.
Like his teacher, he was a member of the Old Text School that was challenging the state orthodox New Text School. His contemporary rival was He Xiu (Chinese: 何休, 129-182). Zheng is notable for his syncretic attempt to bridge the two centuries of rivalry between the two schools. He adopted the strengths of each school in the interpretation of the Confucian classics although they usually favored the Old Text teachings. He was very influential but the government never officially adopted his teachings. The Han Dynasty was already in serious decline during his lifetime and collapsed a generation after his death. Both schools did not survive the chaos but Zheng's conception of Confucianism would be the mainstream interpretation for centuries.
The commemorative shrine of Zheng Xuan in Shandong was rebuilt under supervision of Ruan Yuan 阮元 (1764–1849) in 1793.