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Han Fei

Type Figure Region East Asia Time c. -280–-233 Also known as Han Feizi、韩非子

Han Fei (c. 280–233 BCE) was a royal scion of the state of Han in the late Warring States period and the great synthesizer of Legalist thought, a stu…

Timeline

  1. c. -280–-260Capital of Han (Xinzheng) · XinzhengBorn into the royal house of Han, a kinsman of King An of Han, he loved learning from childhood; though he stuttered and could not debate, he excelled at writing, focusing on Han's weakness and peril.
  2. c. -260–-250Lanling, Chu · Lanling CountyWent to Lanling to study under Xunzi, classmate of Li Si; influenced by the Confucian doctrine of human nature's evil, he turned to developing Legalist thought, fusing law, technique, and power into a distinctive theoretical system.
  3. c. -250–-234State of Han · Henan ProvinceAfter returning to Han he repeatedly memorialized King An advocating reform and strengthening the state, but his proposals were not adopted; he then wrote the Han Feizi, over 200,000 characters, systematically expounding the theory of rule through law, technique, and power, and his writings circulated among the six states.
  4. -234–-233Xianyang, Qin · XianyangKing Ying Zheng of Qin read the Han Feizi and was impressed, summoning him to Qin; slandered by Li Si and Yao Jia with the claim that he stayed in Qin only to serve Han, he was imprisoned and Li Si sent him poison; Han Fei drank it and died, and Legalist doctrine, through Qin's practice, had far-reaching influence.

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