Han Fei Zi
HAN FEI ZI (c. 280–233 BCE), or Master Han Fei, a Chinese philosopher of the late Warring States period (403–221 BCE), was important as the main consolidator and most forceful advocate of a set of earlier ideas later to be given the label of "legalism" (fajia). Historical accounts tell us that he was a noble scion of the relatively weak state of Han, and that he created his writings in response to the ineptitude of Han's governance after failing to gain the ear of its ruler. He would later be sent as an envoy to the powerful western state of Qin, where he would eventually succumb to political intrigue and be forced to commit suicide just twelve years prior to the Qin's unification of the Chinese world. The book of Han Fei Zi is comprised of fifty-five individual essays and anecdotal collections, most of which were likely written by Han Fei prior to his journey to Qin and eventually compiled into a single work bearing the author's name; with a few exceptions, the bulk of the work is considered to be authentic. Han Fei is known as much for his lucid writing and persuasive style of argumentation as for his philosophy itself, and his writings are full of some of early China's most engaging and illustrative stories and analogies.
This is a free page. This page contains 201 words. This
article contains 1,660 words (approx. 6 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Han Fei Zi Access Pass.
