As a preeminent Confucian scholar of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi has exerted a profound and lasting influence through his contributions to Confucianism, classical studies, ritual studies, and historical studies scholarship. This study employs VOSviewer to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 631 articles on Zhu Xi published in CSSCI journals on China National Knowledge Infrastructure from 2021 to 2025. The research reveals that in recent years, the number of publications on Zhu Xi has shown a fluctuating trend. Scholars such as Le Aiguo and Shen Shunfu have achieved remarkable results, and institutions like Shandong University and Xiamen University have played important leading roles. The co-occurrence analysis of keywords identifies the focal directions of Zhu Xi’s studies in the development of Neo-Confucianism during the Song and Ming dynasties, Confucian orthodoxy, and the philosophy of mind and nature. This study indicates that the field of Zhu Xi research holds broad prospects and is expected to continue gaining momentum against the backdrop of cultural renaissance. Future research can be advanced by deepening interdisciplinary explorations and integrating diverse perspectives, such as the history of science and cultural anthropology. This approach will facilitate a deeper integration of Zhu Xi's ideas with contemporary practices and further uncover the modern value and application potential of his work.