Cheng Duanli

Cheng Duanli (simplified Chinese: 程端礼; traditional Chinese: 程端禮; pinyin: Chéng Duānlǐ, 1271-1345) was a Neo-Confucian scholar of the Yuan Dynasty in China, educator, poet, and philologist. He was also known under Zi names Jìngshū (敬叔) and Jìnglǐ 敬禮，and Hao name Wèizhāi (畏齋). He came from Qingyuan Prefecture (now in Zhejiang).

Biography

Cheng Duanli was said to be very talented since early age, at the age of 15 able to recite the "Six Classics" and with the good knowledge of the Cheng-Zhu school. He studied under Shǐ Méngqīng (史蒙卿) and later spent a lifetime teaching scores of students.

Cheng Duanli's writings enshrined Confucian orthodoxy. His best-known work was "The Graded Schedule of Study" (程氏家塾讀書分年日程). Published in 1315, it corresponded with the re-opening of the system of Imperial Examinations (that had mostly been defunct during the Yuan Dynasty rule) and was adopted officially across the Empire,, posthumously earning its author an entry in Yuanshi, the official history of the dynasty. The legacy of this book lasted further through Ming and Qing, serving as the basis of school curricula.