The School of Names, or School of Forms and Names,[1] was school of Chinese philosophy that grew out of Mohism. Sometimes termed Logicians or Sophists modernly, Han scholars used it in reference to figures earlier termed Disputers in the Zhuangzi, as a view seemingly dating back to the Warring States period (c. 479 – 221 BC). Although not a unified movement like the Mohists, it more or less represents an actual social category of early debaters. Figures associated with it include Deng Xi, Yin Wen, Hui Shi, and Gongsun Long.[2] A contemporary of Confucius and the younger Mozi, Deng Xi, associated with litigation, is taken by Liu Xiang as the originator of the principle of xíngmíng, or ensuring that ministers' deeds (xing) harmonized with their words (ming).[3]
Birthplaces of notable Zhou-era philosophers belonging to the School of Names are marked by circles in blue.
