Most general studies of Neo-Confucianism focus on the leading thinkers of the Song (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties, such as the Cheng brothers (Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi), Zhu Xi, and Wang Yangming, with the dominant emphasis being their key philosophical ideas as expressed in their various writings. What readers seldom get is a glimpse of how scholars struggled with putting their ideas into practice, as there are few extended firsthand accounts of anyone engaged in the daily pursuit of the Neo-Confucian goal of sagehood.