 After distinguishing between subjective and objective knowledge, Shao Yong warns against subjectivity, which is a consequence of our inability to recognize or understand structural principles underlying reality, making him one of the first philosophers to apply the term li in the Neo-Confucian sense. In this relatively new context, he often applied the term wu li 物理 (lit.: structural patterns or principles of things), which would, in modern Chinese, serve as the translation of the Western word physics (in the sense of physical science). Given his approach, it comes as no surprise to find him stressing the distinction between “true” recognition and false mysticisms. Zhu Xi also advocated comprehension in accordance with the principle li (Zhu 1999: 8, 25). Like Shao Yong, he was convinced that li was not only the structural principle that governs the existence of all external things, but also a necessary and inseparable part of the human heart-mind (Zhu 1999: 60, 6, 7). However, in Zhu Xi’s view the spiritual functions of li did not refer only to human reason, but also represented the human ability to perceive and comprehend the external world (Zhu 1999: 47). Following the priority of moral principles within Confucian (and Neo-Confucian) epistemologies, as the central and universal principle, Zhu Xi’s li also naturally incorporated ethical components (Zhu 1999: 8, 20).