Geng Dingxiang

Life

His father was Geng Jin and his mother Qin; his great-grandfather was Geng Shiyong and his grandfather Geng Dazhen. His elder brother was Geng Dingce, and his younger brothers were Geng Dingli (耿定理), Geng Dingli (耿定力), and Geng Dingyu (耿定裕). His wife was née Peng; his son was Geng Yingchang and his grandson Geng Yingyu.

In 1552, the thirty-first year of the Jiajing reign, he placed twenty-seventh in the Huguang provincial examination. In 1556 he placed fourth in the metropolitan examination and one hundred and third in the third class of the palace examination, obtaining the jinshi degree; he then underwent service in the Ministry of Personnel and was appointed an official in the Office of Travelers.

After his appointment as an usher, he was promoted to censor and sent to inspect Gansu; he was selected as a probationary Investigating Censor of the Yunnan Circuit in September 1559 and formally appointed the following March, and was known for impartial impeachment. In April he submitted a memorial impeaching Minister of Personnel Wu Peng and his son-in-law Dong Fen; the six charges are assigned to Wu Peng in one account and to Dong Fen in another.

In March 1562 he was put in charge of the schools of South Zhili, and in July 1567 he was promoted to Vice Director of the Court of Judicial Review; he returned home on sick leave the following September. In October 1570, during the Longqing reign, he was demoted to Judge of Hengzhou after an official review characterized him as “impetuous and shallow,” in the context of Gao Gong’s dominance. He later became a judicial official of Hengzhou Prefecture and then a Director in the Ministry of Works’ Office of State Farms.

At the beginning of the Wanli reign he was recalled and successively served as an Assistant Director of the Imperial Seal Office, a Vice Director of that office, and a Vice Director of the Court of Imperial Studs; several days later he was promoted to an Assistant Censor-in-Chief assisting the Censorate, then retired. This censorial title appears as both Right and Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief. In July 1578 he was recalled as Governor of Fujian, but requested retirement again in 1580.

In March 1584 he was summoned as Left Assistant Censor-in-Chief assisting the Censorate, becoming Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief in August; he was promoted to Vice Minister of Justice in April 1585 and Right Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Censorate in November 1587. In September 1589 he reached the offices of Minister of Revenue and Supervisor of the Granaries; after censorial impeachment that November, he pleaded illness and returned home.

He died in the eighth month of 1596 at the age of seventy-three and was posthumously granted the title Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and the posthumous name Gongjian; the posthumous name Gongsu is also given.

Thought and Teaching

Geng Dingxiang’s learning took Wang Shouren as its basis. He was a Neo-Confucian of the later Yangming tradition, and his teaching was also classified with the Taizhou school. He was initially a friend of Li Zhi and invited him to Huang'an, but they became estranged over their differing views on learning; after the publication of Li Zhi’s *Fenshu*, Geng instructed his disciples to attack him, condemned his advocacy of “mad Chan” as heterodox, and was associated with Li Zhi’s expulsion from Macheng.

In later life he built the Tiantai Academy on Mount Tiantai and, together with his younger brothers Geng Dingli (耿定理) and Geng Dingli (耿定力), lectured and taught; he became known as Master Tiantai. His pupils included Jiao Hong, Zhu Shilu, Xia Zixiao, Wu Lin, Guan Zhidao, and Liu Yuanqing. His teaching emphasized correcting abuses and rescuing learning from error, helped promote the lecture movement of his time, and aimed at improving social customs; some of his positions have been regarded as a forerunner of the Donglin school. Gao Panlong also praised the uprightness of his teaching.

Writings

His writings and associated collections include *Gengzi Yongyan*, *Xianjin Yifeng*, *Geng Tiantai wenji*, *Geng Tiantai xiansheng wenji* in twenty juan, *Yongyan geji*, *Quan zi* in one juan, *Quan zi wu ze*, *Shuofu baojian*, *Shuofu baojian yaolan*, and *Bingyutang yulu*; he also edited *Xiangshan xiansheng yaoyu*.