宋明理學代表著中國傳統文化發展的高峰，但這一高峰並不是憑空出現的，而是儒學與皇權在經過一千餘年的磨合，又經過對漢唐儒學的深入反省之後的一種重建或重新崛起。在這一過程中，除了文明發展所提供之客觀的社會歷史條件外，作為「北宋五子」之一的張載及其對漢唐儒學的深入反省對於宋明理學的崛起與重建也起到了非常重要的作用。簡括而言，張載除了對漢代的政治理念進行批評外，同時也揚棄了董仲舒的神性主宰之天，並從根本上顛倒了漢唐儒學的天人關係及其認知視角，從而以「為天地立心，為生民立命」的志向拓展了儒學重新崛起的理論地基。從這個意義上說，張載哲學就是宋明理學理論地基的開拓者和奠基人；至於其哲學遺產，也值得理學研究者反復咀嚼與多方品味。

Neo Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties is the peak of Chinese traditional culture. It is the reconstruction and revival that Confucianism was running in with imperial power and introspection on Confucianism in Han and Tang dynasties for over a thousand years. Although there were objective social and historical conditions which due to the development of civilization, in this process, Zhang Zai, as one of the “five masters of the Northern Song Dynasty”, had introspected Confucianism of Han and Tang Dynasties deeply which played an important role in the reconstruction and revival of Neo Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties. In short, Zhang Zai not only criticized the political ideology of Han Dynasty, but also sublated the Heaven of divine domination which Don Zhongshu’s theory. From this point he reversed fundamentally the relationship between Human and Nature and the cognitive perspectives of Confucianism in Han and Tang Dynasties. So that, Zhang Zai expanded the theoretical foundation of the revival of Confucianism by his ambition, which is “to ordain conscience for Heaven and Earth, to secure life and fortune for the people.” In this sense, Zhang Zai’s philosophy is the pioneer and founder of the theoretical foundation of Neo Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties. So it is worth turning the philosophical heritage over in Neo Confucianism researchers’ mind.