There was an academic debate between Han Learning and the Sung Learning within Confucianism in the middle Ch'ing period. The "evidential research" (k'ao-cheng chih hs?eh ) of Hah Learning scholars prevailed throughout the debate. Therefore, mod ern scholars often focus on Hah Learning scholars' standpoint in their research on this subject. However, Sung Learning scholars were not totally defeated in the debate. Fang Tung -shu's Reckoning with the Han Learning ( Han-hs?eh shang-tui ) is a good example to substantiate this claim. This essay concentrates on reconsidering Fang's criticism of Hah Learning scholars' consideration of the "studies of moral principles" ( I-li chih hs?eh ) , to elicit Sung Learning scholars' standpoint and its effect in the debate. In this study, I argue that although the "evidential studies" of Hah Learning scholars prevailed in the debate on surface, Sung Learning scholars' eloquence on the issues of the studies of moral principles has contributed to the sustained importance of Sung Learning within the Confucian tradition.