Hán Fēizǐ 韓非子
Master Hán Fēi by 韓非 (Hán Fēi, ca. 280–233 BCE, 周, 撰); commentary by 何犿 (Hé Fán, 元, 注)
About the work
A 20-juan, 55-篇 classical Legalist text by Hán Fēi — the synthesising philosopher of the pre-Qín Legalist tradition. The work integrates the doctrines of his three principal predecessors — Shēn Bùhài 申不害’s shù 術 (governance technique), Shèn Dào 慎到’s shì 勢 (positional power), and Shāng Yāng’s fǎ 法 (law) — into a coherent statist theory. Composition: bracketed by Hán’s working life as a prince-scholar in Hán prior to his execution in Qín. The frontmatter brackets to ca. -260 to -233.
The work is one of the most influential pre-Qín zǐ-texts and the principal classical source for theoretical Legalism. The Wǔ dù 五蠹 (Five Pests), Gū fèn 孤憤 (Solitary Indignation), and Shuō nán 說難 (Difficulty in Persuasion) chapters are particularly canonical. Yuán-period He Fán’s commentary is the standard premodern annotation in the SKQS edition.
Abstract
The Hán Fēizǐ is the synthesising classical Legalist text and one of the foundational pre-Qín zǐ-texts. The bibliographic record: Hàn shū yìwén zhì (韓非 55 篇, Fǎjiā); Suí shū jīngjí zhì; SKQS Zǐbù — Fǎjiā lèi.
Translations and research
- W. K. Liao, The Complete Works of Han Fei Tzǔ, 2 vols., London: Probsthain, 1939–1959. The classic English translation.
- Burton Watson, Han Fei Tzu: Basic Writings, Columbia UP, 1964. Standard selection.
- Hán Fēi-zǐ. Trans. Wang Pengling et al, Han Feizi, Library of Chinese Classics edition, 2010 — modern Chinese-English bilingual.
- Standard modern Chinese editions integrate Wáng Xiānshèn’s Hán Fēi-zǐ jí jiě 韓非子集解.
Links
- Shāngzǐ (KR3c0004) — the parallel classical Legalist text.
- Kyoto Zinbun, Sìkù quánshū zǒngmù tíyào
- Wikipedia
- Wikidata