Legalism (Chinese philosophy)

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Legalism
Statue of the legalist Shang Yang
Chinese	法家
Literal meaning	School of law
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fǎjiā Bopomofo ㄈㄚˇ ㄐㄧㄚ Wade–Giles Fa3-chia1 Tongyong Pinyin Fǎ-jia IPA [fà.tɕjá] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Faatgā Jyutping faat3 gaa1 IPA [fat̚˧ ka˥]

Part of a series on
Chinese legalism
Figures Guan Zhong Marquess Wen of Wei Li Kui Duke Xiao of Qin Shang Yang Shen Buhai Wu Qi Shen Dao Zhang Yi Han Fei Li Si Qin Shi Huang
Han figures Jia Yi Emperor Wen of Han Emperor Wu of Han Chao Cuo Gongsun Hong Zhang Tang Huan Tan Wang Fu Zhuge Liang
Later figures Emperor Wen of Sui Du You Wang Anshi Li Shanchang Zhang Juzheng Xu Guangqi
Relevant texts Guanzi The Book of Lord Shang Shenzi (both books) Han Feizi Wuzi Wei Liaozi Annals of Lü Buwei Huang-Lao
Relevant articles Rectification of names Wu wei Discourses on Salt and Iron Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius
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Fajia (Chinese: 法家; pinyin: fǎjiā), or the School of fa (laws, methods), often translated as Legalism,^[1] is a school of mainly Warring States period classical Chinese philosophy. Often interpreted in the West along realist lines, its members works contributed variously to the formation of the bureaucratic Chinese empire, and early elements of Daoism. The later Han takes Guan Zhong, associated with the Guanzi, as forefather of the Fajia. Its more Legalistic figures include ministers Li Kui and Shang Yang, and more Daoistic figures Shen Buhai and philosopher Shen Dao,^[2] with the late Han Feizi drawing on both. Later centuries took Xun Kuang as a teacher of Han Fei and Li Si.^[3] Succeeding emperors and reformers often followed the templates set by Han Fei, Shen Buhai and Shang Yang, but the Qin to Tang were more characterized by their traditions.

Though Chinese administration had no single origin, with a major influence by the Han dynasty, grand chancellor Shen Buhai likely played a key role in the development of the merit system, and could be seen as its founder. With formative influence for the Qin and Chinese law, Shang Yang reformed the peripheral Qin state into a strongly centralized, powerful kingdom, ultimately unifying China in 221 BCE. Largely responsible for their synthesis as a school, the Han Feizi aslo contains some of the earliest commentaries on the Daodejing. Sun Tzu's Art of War recommends Han Fei's concepts of power, technique, inaction, and impartiality, punishment and reward.

One of Sima Tan's (165–110 BCE) six schools of thought, with fa broader than law, Fajia refers to the idea that administrative protocols should disregard kinship and social status, treating everyone equally and thereby elevating the sovereign above all others. Imperial Archivists Liu Xiang (77–6BCE) and Liu Xin (c.46bce–23ce) used it as a category in the Han dynasty imperial library, becoming a major category of Masters Texts in Han dynasty catalogues, namely the Han state's own Book of Han (111ce). It included six other lost texts.^[4]