Overview
Han Feizi (c. 280–233 BCE) was the major synthesizer of Legalism (fajia) in late Warring States China. A prince of Han and student associated with Xunzi’s milieu, he urged impersonal law, administrative technique, and strategic power. Summoned to Qin, he died in prison amid court intrigue—tradition blames Li Si. The Han Feizi compiles essays that guided Qin statecraft. Handbook dates are approximate for the third century BCE.
Main ideas
Order rests on fa (public laws), shu (administrative techniques), and shi (positional power)—not on ruler’s personal virtue alone. Human beings respond to reward and punishment; relying on goodwill invites chaos. The enlightened ruler hides preferences so ministers cannot fish for favor. Past models cannot be copied blindly; institutions must fit present conditions. Words must match deeds; empty talk is punished. Compassion without standards undermines deterrence.
Major works
- Han Feizi
- The Two Handles
- The Five Vermin
- On the Dominant System of Authority
Legacy
Legalism supplied tools for Qin unification and a permanent foil for Confucian virtue politics. Modern readers see anticipations of realist state theory and principal–agent control. The text remains essential for classical Chinese political philosophy.