Essential Chinese Wisdom is a new series in which each book features one of China's greatest philosophers and their core teachings. Designed for general interest readers, the books focus on key sayings and quotations — all of which are packed with profound philosophical meaning today just as they were more than two millennia ago. This accessible, easy-to-grasp series forms the backbone of the Chinese philosophic tradition and represents the core of 2,500 years of Chinese philosophy.
Han Fei was a great Chinese philosopher who lived in the period toward the end of the Warring States Period to the pre-Qin era. Born circa 280 BCE into a noble family of the ruling State of Han, he was always interested in the study of ancient Chinese jurisprudence and legal techniques. Han Fei also assimilated thoughts from other philosophers, such as Confucius, Lao Zi, and Mo Zi, to form his complete ideology of Legalism.
