Liu Zhi (ca. 1670–1724) was one of the most important scholars of Islam in traditional China. His Tianfang xingli (Nature and Principle in Islam), the Chinese-language text translated here, focuses on the roots or principles of Islam. It was heavily influenced by several classic texts in the Sufi tradition. Liu’s approach, however, is distinguished from that of other Muslim scholars in that he addressed the basic articles of Islamic thought with Neo-Confucian terminology and categories. Besides its innate metaphysical and philosophical value, the text is invaluable for understanding how the masters of Chinese Islam straddled religious and civilizational frontiers and created harmony between two different intellectual worlds.

The introductory chapters explore both the Chinese and the Islamic intellectual traditions behind Liu’s work and locate the arguments of Tianfang xingli within those systems of thought. The copious annotations to the translation explain Liu’s text and draw attention to parallels in Chinese-, Arabic-, and Persian-language works as well as differences.

Contents
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr v
 Abbreviations xvii
 A Note on Transliteration xix
 Preface xxi
 Introduction
1 Liu Zhi and the Han Kitab 3
 Liu Zhi 4
 The Persian and Arabic Sources 10
 The Arabic Translation of the Root
Classic 15
2 The Islamic Background 20
 The Quest for Realization 21
 Fields of Understanding 25
 Wisdom 26
 The Real 29
 The World Map 31
 Sovereignty and Kingdom 32
 Origin and Return 34
 Microcosm and Macrocosm 38
 Names and Attributes 39
 Spiritual Anthropology 41
 Actualization of the Divine Form 43
 The Divine Presences 45
3 Liu Zhi's Adapttions of Islamic Thought
49
 Nature and Principle 51
 Spirit 54
 Xing, Li, and R¿? 58
 Xing and ?ab¿'a 59
 Mandate 61
 Former Heaven and Latter Heaven 64
 Complete Substance and Great Function 69
 Prophethood and Sagehood 72
 One Body with Heaven and Earth 76
4 The Structure and Argument of Tianfang
Xingli 81
 Chapter 1 82
 Chapter 2 84
 Chapter 3 85
 Chapter 4 86
 Chapter 5 87
5 The Translation 88
 Nature and Principle in Islam
 Personal Narrative 93
 The Plan of the Book 96
 The Compiled Interpretation of Nature and
 Principle in Islam
Head Volume: The Root Classic/The
Subtleties 101
 Chapter 1 102
 Chapter 2 110
 Chapter 3 122
 Chapter 4 132
 Chapter 5 144
 0.1Diagram of the Nondesignation of t
 he Earliest Beginning 158
 0.2Diagram of the Sequence of the Tra
 nsformation of
 Principles in the Former Heaven 160
 0.3Diagram of the Sequence of the Tra
 nsformation of Forms
 in the Latter Heaven 162
 0.4Diagram of the Sequence of the Alt
 eration and
 Transformation of Forms in the Womb16
 4
 0.5Diagram of the Sequence of the Man
 ifestation and
 Display of the Nature of the
 Spiritual 166
 0.6Diagram of the Macrocosm's Followi
 ng in the Circle
 of Creation and Transformation 168
 0.7Diagram of the Microcosm's Origina
 l Beginning and
 Final Return 170
 0.8Diagram of the Differentiated Leve
 ls of Heaven and Humans 172
 0.9Diagram of Heaven and Humans Unite
 d as One 174
 0.10Diagram of the Undifferentiated T
 ransformation of Heaven
 and Humans 176
Volume 1
 Summary
 179
 1.1Diagram of the Nondesignation of the
 Earliest Beginning 180
 1.2Diagram of the Nonattachment of the
 Real Substance 190
 1.3Diagram of the Undivided Suchness of
 the Great Function 196
 1.4Diagram of the Beginning of the Diff
 erentiation of
 Substance and Function 204
 1.5Diagram of the Ongoing Flow of the
 Real Principle 212
 1.6Diagram of the Beginning of the Di
 fferentiation of the
 Natures and Principles 220
 1.7Diagram of the Display of Vital-En
 ergy and the Hiddenness
 of Principle 228
 1.8Diagrams of the Beginning and End
 of the Differentiation,
 and of the Alteration and
 Transformation, of Yin and Yang 234
 1.9Diagrams of the Forms and Operatio
 ns of the Four Images 240
 1.10Diagram of the Firm Position of H
 eaven and Earth 246
 1.11Diagram of the Beginning of the B
 egetting of the Ten
 Thousand Things 250
 1.12Diagram of the Level of the Compl
 eteness of the
 Great Perfection 256
 Volume 2
 Summary
 265
 2.1Diagram of the Levels of the Natur
 es of the Former Heaven 268
 2.2Diagram of the Knowledge and Power
 of the Levels of
 the Natures 274
 2.3Diagram of the Forms and Vessels o
 f the Latter Heaven 280
 2.4Diagram of the Endeavors and Funct
 ions of the Forms
 and Vessels 286
 2.5Diagram of the Belonging Together
 of Principles
 and Images 296
 2.6Diagram of the Distance of the Nin
 e Heavens 302
 2.7Diagram of the Rotation and Revolu
 tion of the
 Nine Heavens 306
 2.8Diagram of the True Position of th
 e Four Agents 310
 2.9Diagram of the Going and Coming Ba
 ck of the
 Four Seasons 316
 2.10Diagram of the Differentiated Ear
 th of the Seven Climes 322
 2.11Diagram of the Differentiated Emp
 tiness of the
 Four Boundaries 328
 2.12Diagram of the Overspreading of t
 he One Thread 334
 Volume 3
 Summary
 339
 3.1Diagram of the Original Beginning
 of the Begetting of
 the Human 342
 3.2Diagram of the First Transformatio
 n of the Embryo 350
 3.3Diagram of the Differentiation and
 Display of the
 Four Roots 356
 3.4Diagram of the Differentiated Form
 s of Outward
 and Inward 360
 3.5Diagram of the Bodily Apertures of
 Inside and Outside 364
 3.6Diagram of the Manifestation of th
 e Function of the
 Spiritually Living 370
 3.7Diagram of the Manifestation and D
 isplay of Hardness
 and Firmness 376
 3.8Diagram of the Manifestation and D
 isplay of Issuing Forth
 and Nurturing 380
 3.9Diagram of the Manifestation and D
 isplay of Knowledge
 and Awareness 386
 3.10Diagram of the Manifestation and
 Display of the Nature
 of Vital-Energy 392
 3.11Diagram of the Manifestation and
 Display of the
 Root Nature 400
 3.12Diagram of the Manifestation and
 Display of the Nature
 of Continuity 406
 Volume 4
 Summary
 411
 4.1Diagram of the Meeting and Uniting
 of Heart and Nature 414
 4.2Diagram of the Virtues Stored in t
 he Levels of the Heart 422
 4.3Diagram of the Ascent and the Desc
 ent, the Coming and
 the Going Back 428
 4.4 Diagram of the Great Completion o
 f the Human Ultimate 434
 4.5Diagram of the Ongoing Flow of the
 Root Suchness 440
 4.6Diagram of the True Practice of Sa
 ge Endeavor 448
 4.7Diagram of Sage, Worthy, Wise, and
 Ignorant 454
 4.8Diagram of the Order of the Layers
 of Veils and Obstacles 462
 4.9Diagram of the Burdens of Virtue i
 n Doubt
 and Faithfulness 470
 4.10Diagram of the Differentiated Bra
 nches of Obedience
 and Rebellion 476
 4.11Diagram of the Procedure and Ende
 avor of Cultivation
 and Progress 482
 4.12Diagram of the Coming Home to the
 Real of the
 Complete Substance 490
 Volume 5
Summary 497
 5.1Diagram of the Three Levels of the
 Real One 500
 5.2Diagram of the Three Levels of the
 Numerical One 508
 5.3Diagram of the Three Levels of the
 Embodied One 516
 5.4Diagram of the Meaning of the Perv
 ading of the
 Three Ones 522
 5.5Diagram of Begetting and Transform
 ing by the Self-so 528
 5.6Diagram of the Mutual Dependence o
 f Names
 and Guises 534
 5.7Diagram of the Complete Beauty of
 the Ten
 Thousand Things 540
 5.8Diagram of Seeing the Great in the
 Midst of the Small 546
 5.9Diagram of Seeing the Small in the
 Midst of the Great 552
 5.10Diagram of the One Breath as the
 Final Antiquity 558
 5.11Diagram of the Final Antiquity as
 the One Breath 566
 5.12Diagram of the Real One Circling
 Back to the Real 574
 Epilogue by Tu Weiming 581
 Reference Matter
 Chronology 621
 Notes 627
 Bibliography 637
 Index
645