Li Ao’s theory of orthodoxy is aclassic case in turning period of academic trend for creative transformation. The first reason for him to put forward the theory lies in the influence of Liang Su, who was one of the pioneers of the Ancient Prose Movement and one of the founders of the orthodoxy of Tiantai Sect of Buddhism. The second is the Chan masters he once visited. Li Ao’s theory of orthodoxy in herited the three characteristics of Tiantai patriarchal system thought: the theme of renaturation, the connection of remote ancestors, and the pathos caused by the teaching’s cutoff. Liangsu’s and Li Ao’s related words obviously demonstrate the same emotion alappeal. The thought in Book of Renaturation belongs to the temperament theory expressed in a new paradigm, although different from traditional Confucianism, doesn’t violate its egoistic position. Base on his discovery of classics such as The Doctrine of the Mean, and with theNature-feel relationship as the basic structure for his theory, he put forward a new method to study the Confucianism texts which is named spiritual judgment that is different from the traditional material judgment. Thus he explored a new field in Confucianism, and it had a profound influence on later generations.
