 During the heyday of the Han dynasty, the Confucian tradition, as it was interpreted at that time, towered over all the other schools of thought. Confidently, it mapped out the structure of the universe and the ways in which the world under heaven ought to be governed. With the decline of the Han dynasty, critiques of Han Confucianism began to surface. To some scholars then, Han Confucianism was not only powerless in arresting the growing malaise, but also part of the problem that led to the downfall of the Han dynasty. The critique of Han Confucianism, it is important to emphasize, does not necessarily amount to a rejection of the teachings of Confucius. In fact, with few exceptions, Wei-Jin scholars agreed that Confucius was the highest sage. It is thus important to clarify that the term “Neo-Daoism” does not refer to a kind of “anti-Confucius” movement. For the majority of Xuanxue proponents, Confucius had penetrated completely the mystery of Dao; it was the misunderstanding and misappropriation of Confucian teachings by Han scholars that created difficulties and thus required rectification.