Jingzuo
Glossary: jingzuo 静坐, 'quiet sitting' — the Neo-Confucian seated practice and its translation.
Jingzuo (静坐, jìngzuò) — “quiet sitting,” the seated contemplative practice of the Song–Ming Neo-Confucian tradition: sitting to collect and stabilize the mind for study and moral conduct, associated with Zhu Xi’s recorded formula “half a day quiet sitting, half a day reading.”
Translation note: a comparatively easy term — “quiet sitting” is literal and idiomatic. Avoid “meditation” alone (it obscures the Confucian rationale); avoid “still sitting” (loses the everyday sense of jing as quiet/calm).
See the full concept page and practice page.
Sources
- Zhuzi Yulei juan 116; Taylor, The Confucian Way of Contemplation (1988)