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Biography of Han Fei Tzu
Name: Han Fei Tzu
Birth Date: c. 280 B.C.
Death Date: 233 B.C.
Place of Birth: N/A
Nationality: Chinese
Gender: Male
Occupations: statesman, philosopher
Han Fei Tzu
Han Fei Tzu (ca. 280-233 BC) was a Chinese statesman and philosopher and one of the main formulators of Chinese Legalist philosophy.Elements of Chinese Legalist philosophy can be traced to the 7th century B.C., but it was Han Fei Tzu who developed the precepts of this political philosophy into its definitive form. He emphasized the complete submission of the individual to the state and stressed the importance of law in maintaining state control. His elaborate methodology of statecraft may have influenced the creation of authoritarianism by the Ch'in dynasty.The main source of information on Han Fei's life is a short biography by the historian Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145-86 B.C.) in his Records of the Historian. Han Fei was a member of the royal family of Han, a small state located in north-central China. During the 5th century Han, along with two other states, had seceded from the large state …showed first 150 words…
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…showed last 150 words…replace the corrupt and incompetent bureaucrats who maintained their positions solely through special privilege. He sought to encourage more agricultural production, at the same time discouraging private commerce and craftsmanship. He advocated the drafting of an elaborate system of laws that would be strictly enforced and in which there was no room for mercy to the lawbreaker. This authoritarian system appealed to the Chinese despot, and many of the policies adopted under the Chinese Empire after 221 B.C. closely resemble ideas set forth by Han Fei. Further Reading A useful work is Han Fei Tzu: Basic Writings, translated by Burton Watson (1964). The Complete Works of Han Fei Tzu, translated by W. K. Liao (2 vols., 1959), also contains a biography by Ssu-ma Ch'ien in volume 1. H. G. Creel, Chinese Thought: From Confucius to Mao Tse-tung (1953), discusses Han Fei Tzu in historical context. See also Hou Wai-Lu, A Short History of Chinese Philosophy (1958).
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