This paper study Xiong Shili’s narratives of Gongyang's theory in the Spring and Autumn with "Instructions for reading Confucian classics" as a research scope, and then discusses the logic and possibility of Confucian "inner saint and outer king".
The paper of six main chapters. The first chapter is how Xiong developed his narrative of Confucian classics history based on Gongyang School's narrative tradition of Confucian classics history. The second to sixth chapters are Xiong's expounding of the meaning and significance of Spring and Autumn. The second chapter discusses Xiong's view about "Three subjects and Nine points" of Gongyang School. The third chapter discusses how Xiong developed his "ontology" and "Inner Saint and Outer King" based on "Changing One into Yuan" tradition. The fourth chapter discusses how Xiong explained his moral theory based on the Rite and Morality ideology of Spring and Autumn. Xiong's theory of Inner Saint consists of both theoretical construction of metaphysical field and the performance of real politics and personnel. The fifth chapter is how Xiong explained the dialectical relationship between "the country and the world" based on the theory of "Outside and Inside" in Spring and Autumn. There is no race view in Spring and Autumn but the strict distinction of Etiquette and Righteousness. Spring and autumn focuses on the world, but the Great Harmony of the world must be based on every country's self-reliance and self-improvement. The sixth chapter is Xiong's interpretation of Confucian political ideal. Xiong's ideas such as "Humanistic Thought" are still of great practical significance today, but how these ideas can be applied in practice needs to be supported by instrumental rationality and scientific methods.
The conclusion of this paper summarizes Gongyang style characters of Xiong, then discusses the meaning and value of his theory of "Inner Saint and Outer King".