Xuanxue

Xuanxue (), sometimes called Neo-Taoism or Neo-Daoism, is a metaphysical post-classical Chinese philosophy from the Six Dynasties (222-589), bringing together Taoist and Confucian beliefs through revision and discussion. The movement found its scriptural support both in Taoist and drastically reinterpreted Confucian sources. Xuanxue, or "Mystic Learning", came to reign supreme in cultural circles, especially at Jiankang during the period of division. The concept represented the more abstract, unworldly, and idealistic tendency in early medieval Chinese thought. Xuanxue philosophers combined elements of Confucianism and Taoism to reinterpret the I Ching, Daodejing and Zhuangzi.

== Definition == The name first compounds xuan () "black, dark; mysterious, profound, abstruse, arcane." It occurs in the first chapter of the Daodejing ("，"). The word xuan literally depicts a shade of deep, mystical, dark red. Daodejing speaks of the Dao as Xuan, more specifically underpinning the depth, utter impenetrability, and the profound mystery of the Dao.