Liu Taigong 劉臺拱

Liu Taigong 劉臺拱 (1751-1805), courtesy name Duanlin 端臨, style Jiangling 江嶺, from Baoying 寶應, Jiangsu, was a scholar of the high Qing period 清 (1644-1911).

Liu obtained the juren degree in 1771, but failed six times to pass the metropolitan examination. He therefore decided to remain in Beijing, where he sought instruction from famous scholars of the time, like Dai Zhen 戴震 (1723-1777), Shao Jinhan 邵晉涵 (1743-1796), Wang Niansun 王念孫 (1744-1832), Zhu Yun 朱筠 (1729-1781), Cheng Jinfang 程晉芳 (1718-1784) and Ren Dachun 任大椿 (1738-1789). He was finally appointed assistant instructor (xundao 訓導) of Dantu 丹徒.

Educated by the teachings of Neo-Confucianism, he selected those parts of the ideology that seemed most practical. This attitude brought him great admiration by later scholars like Ruan Yuan 阮元 (1764-1849), Wang Chang 王昶 (1725-1806) or Jiang Fan 江藩 (1761-1831). He was particularly interested in astronomy, musical tuning, arithmetics and acoustics. He tried to apply these sciences to the Classics, and the three ritual classics in particular.

His most important writings are Lunyu pianzhi 論語駢枝, Jingzhuan xiaoji 經傳小記, Guoyu bujiao 國語補校, Xunzi buzhu 荀子補注, Huainanzi bujiao 淮南子補校, Fangyan bujiao 方言補校 and Hanxue shiyi 漢學拾遺. They are found in the literary remains of Liu, Duanlin yishu 端臨遺書. His most important disciples were Zhu Bin 朱彬 and his nephew Liu Baonan 劉寶楠 (1791-1855).