Among the New Confucians of the modern era, the Confucianism of Ma Yifu馬一浮 (1883–1967) is particularly prominent. What makes his Confucianism so prominent is not that he was influenced by Buddhism nor that he emphasized the mind and personal experience because both Liang Shuming梁漱溟and Xiong Shili熊十力are also like this. What makes his Confucianism so prominent is, instead, is his complete rejection of Western learning and instrumental reason and his hybridic harmonization of the Cheng-Zhu school of li philosophy (lixue理學) and the Lu-Wang school of xin philosophy (xinxue心學). This is where he differs from both Liang Shuming and Xiong Shili. Both of these philosophers maintained a certain tolerance and openness toward Western learning and instrumental reason and both of them succeeded and illuminated the Lu-Wang tradition of Confucianism. We must have a wide perspective when discussing Ma Yifu’s New Confucianism and his “theory on nature and humanity” (tianrenguan天人觀) that cannot be simply limited to what he took over and promoted from Confucianism but we also need to know why he promoted what he did. One of the main behind his thought reasons was his passionate refusal of Western learning, knowledge, utilitarianism, and instrumental rationality. Ma Yifu’s New Confucianism and theory on nature and humanity is the complete opposite of Western learning and instrumental reason. His many critical reflections on the latter are evident throughout his various writings. His life was guided by the goal of transmitting and revitalizing Confucian humanism and he saw self-completion as the central moral value. That is, he not only resisted utilitarianism and instrumental rationality but this resistance also retained a very strong cultural conservatism.