| Fa | |||||||
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| Chinese | 法 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | standard, model, example, measure, norm, way, solution, rule, method, technique (shu), regulation, protocol, statute, law. to imitate; to emulate. | ||||||
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The 12 characters on this slab of floor brick affirm that it is an auspicious moment for the First Emperor to ascend the throne, as the country is united and no men will be dying along the road.
Fa is a concept in Chinese philosophy that concerns aspects of ethics, logic, and law. It can be translated as 'law' in some contexts, but as a 'model' or 'standard' for behavior in most ancient texts, namely the Mozi, with prominent examples including the performance of carpentry.[1] Mentioned as early as the Shang shu, but coming to prominence in the Mohist school of thought, an administrative use of models is prominently elaborated in Legalism, while figures in the school of names used fa comparative models for litigation. However, given the broadness of the term, fa even included medical models (theories).[2]
Fa was still considered important by Warring States period Confucians. Xunzi, whose work would ultimately be foundational to Confucian philosophy during the Han dynasty, took up fa, suggesting that it could only be properly assessed by the Confucian sage (聖; shèng), and that the most important fa were the very rituals that Mozi had ridiculed for their ostentatious waste and lack of benefit for the people at large.[3]
In Han Fei's philosophy, the king is the sole source of fa ('law'), taught to the common people so that there would be a harmonious society free of chance occurrences, disorder, and "appeal to privilege". High officials were not to be held above the fa ('law' or 'protocol'), nor were they allowed to independently create their own fa, uniting both executive fiat and rule of law.[4]