Inter-explanation of Classics:
Method of Interpretation of the Five Classics by Qing Scholars

Dennis Chi-hsiung Cheng
National Taiwan University

There are many ways of interpreting classics by traditional Chinese scholars, one of the methods is “inter-explanation of classics”; in simple words, that is to make use of the materials in the classics to interpret classics. With cautious analysis, this approach could be divided into (1) inter-explanation of a few classics, (2) explanation of a single classic within itself, (3) inter-explanation of classics and the commentaries, and (4) explanation using inferences before and after a passage within the same essay. These methodologies can be traced back to as early as the pre-Qin period; but the Qing scholars are the ones that really put the approach on a pedestal. The Qing scholars believed that the ancient Classics as a whole had their own logical structures, and should not be contradicting, and therefore could be inter-explained. This approach is quite different from those practiced by the philosophers of the Song/Ming period, who emphasized the spiritual aspects of understanding. It is worthy of an in-depth research.