Time, History, and Dao: - Zhang Xuecheng and Martin Heidegger

Heidegger's interest in Asian thought and his association with Asian scholars have become, in recent years, a much noted subject. By comparing his ideas with that of Zhang Xuecheng (1738-1801), a thinker and classicist of Qin China, this article demonstrates in parallel how both of them parlayed the notion of time in constructing the foundation of their philosophy. It also discusses the far-reaching impact of their ideas on shaping the directions of historical thinking and writing in both China and the West, despite the obvious differences in time and context.