Mò zǐ 墨子
Master Mò
attributed to 墨翟 (Mò Dí, 470–391 BCE) and the Mohist school
The foundational text of the Mohist 墨家 school — the Warring-States rival-tradition to Confucianism, advocating impartial care (jiān ài 兼愛), opposition to aggression (fēi gōng 非攻), merit-based appointment, religious consequentialism, and rigorous logic-language (the “Later Mohist” canons of the middle chapters). A multi-generational compilation transmitting the teachings of the school across its Warring-States history. The text largely went underground after the Hàn triumph of Confucianism, preserved in the Daoist canon precisely because mainstream Confucian transmission lapsed. Preserved as DZ 1176 / CT 1176 (Tài qīng bù 太清部) — the most important single manuscript witness of the Mò zǐ for the modern textual tradition.
Dating. Warring-States (5th–3rd century BCE). Dynasty: 戰國.
Translations and research
- Graham, A. C. Later Mohist Logic, Ethics and Science. Hong Kong, 1978.
- Johnston, Ian. The Mozi: A Complete Translation. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2010.
- Fraser, Chris. The Philosophy of the Mòzǐ. Columbia UP, 2016.