 Wang Fuzhi reordered the Neo-Confucian ontology through his historico-philosophical theory of shi (conditions) vis-à-vis li (principle). Wang accorded principle priority as the immanent pattern of all things and affairs, that is, as that which is “the certain” (guran), “the necessary” (biran), “the self-evident” (dangran), “the why and wherefore” (suoyiran) and “the natural” (ziran). But principle was embedded in concrete psycho-physical force (qi) and manifested in actual conditions: 