Ideological antipathy towards the Legalist State of Qin was established as early as 266 BC, when Confucian philosopher Xun Zi disparaged it.

" Ames ( 1981: 74 ) compares the Hanfeizi attribution of this yinglong and tengshe metaphor to the Legalist philosopher Shen Dao.

Though the unified reign of the First Qin Emperor lasted only 12 years, he managed to subdue great parts of what constitutes the core of the Han Chinese homeland and to unite them under a tightly centralized Legalist government seated at Xianyang ( close to modern Xi ' an ).

* Han Feizi: The major figure of the Chinese Fajia ( Legalist ) school, advocated government that adhered to laws and a strict method of administration.

" Confucian, Legalist, and Taoist Thought in Later Han ," in Cambridge History of China: Volume I: the Ch ' in and Han Empires, 221 B. C.

While Shang Yang ( the Prime Minister of Duke Xiao of Qin ) would allow rulers to listen to musical instruments rather than focus on foreign policy, Han Fei ( the Legalist scholar most admired by the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi ) demanded more of the wise ruler.

To aid the ruler and help prevent misgovernance, Shen Buhai – a minister from the state of Han for fifteen years – formalized the concept of shu () or the bureaucratic model of administration that served to advance the ideal Legalist ruler ’ s program.

The Confucian thinker Xun Zi is sometimes considered as being influenced by or having nourished Legalist ideas, mostly because of two of his disciples ( Li Si and Han Fei ).

His political philosophy can best be described by the Chinese idiom " Confucian in appearance but Legalist in substance " (), a style of governing which had become the norm after the founding of the Han Dynasty.

* Han Fei-Representative figure in Legalist philosophy

Hen Fei's interpretation of Legalism stressed that the autocrat will be able achieve the ultimate ends of Legalist philosophy of firmly control the state with the mastering of three concepts: his position of power ( 勢, Shì ); certain techniques ( 術, Shù ), and laws ( 法, Fǎ ) as described in his classic work, the Han Feizi ( book ).

In debating with a Confucianist about the legendary Chinese sage rulers Yao and Shun, Legalist Master Han Fei argues that you cannot praise them both because you would be making a " spear-shield " contradiction.

The Legalist school, as represented by such thinkers as Han Fei Zi, insisted that the ruler must always rely on penal law and the imposition of heavy punishments as the main instrument of government.

Shang Yang, a scholar from the Legalist School, in his book " The Book of Lord Shang, refers to several measures taken by the state.

For most of the history of China, its legal system has been based on the Confucian philosophy of social control through moral education, as well as the Legalist emphasis on codified law and criminal sanction.

Other important philosophical works include the Mohist Mozi, which taught " inclusive love " as both an ethical and social principle, and Hanfeizi, one of the central Legalist texts.

It incorporates elements of both Legalist and Confucian traditions of social order and governance.

According to Ge ’ s own account, he wrote the " Inner Chapters " to argue for the reality and attainability of divine transcendence, while the " Outer Chapters " blends Confucian and Legalist rhetoric to propose solutions for the social and political problems of his era.

Neo-Confucianism was a revived version of old Confucian principles that appeared around the Song Dynasty, with Buddhist, Taoist, and Legalist features.

Li Ssu, Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty convinced Qin Shi Huang to abandon the Confucians ' recommendation of awarding fiefs akin to the Zhou Dynasty before them which he saw as counter to the Legalist idea of centralizing the state around the ruler.

Although meritocracy as a term is a relatively recent invention, the concept of a government based on standardized examinations originates from the works of Confucius, along with other Legalist and Confucian philosophers.

Another Legalist, Shang Yang implemented Legalist and meritocratic reforms in the state of Qin by abolishing the aristocracy and promoting individuals based on their skill, intelligence, and initiative.

The Qin officials are disciplined by a meritocracy of rather harsh methods imposed by the Legalist philosophy.

Early emperors however embraced the Legalist ideal as a way of exerting control over their large and growing territory and population.

The significant influence of the Legalist tradition in Chinese law has historically been overlooked.

Although the Confucian ideology provided the fundamentals for the substance of traditional law, the Legalist school constructed the important framework of the traditional legal system.

Its ruler, Qin Shi Huang, implemented the Legalist system of rule, which was used to rule the former Qin state.

" It was this Legalist thought combined with strong leadership from long-lived rulers, openness to employ talented men from other states, and little internal opposition that gave the Qin such a strong political base.

The reforms of Shang Yang in Qin, and of Wu Qi in Chu, both centred around increased centralisation, the suppression of the nobility, and a vastly increased scope of government based on Legalist ideals, which were necessary to mobilise the large armies of the period.

Thus, in Legalist theory, ministers and other officials were prevented from performing some other official's duties and were punished if they attempted to blind the ruler with words or failed to warn the ruler of danger.

Guided by Legalist thought, the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, would weaken the power of the feudal lords, divide the unified empire into thirty-six administrative provinces, and standardize the writing system.

Reflecting Legalist passion for order and structure, Qin soldiers were only mobilized when both halves of tiger-shaped tallies ( one held by the ruler and the other by the commanding general ) were brought together.

He also joined another revolutionary organisation, The Society for the Study of Wang Fuzhi ( Chuan-shan Hsüeh-she ) which had been founded by a number of Changsha literati who wished to emulate Wang Fuzhi ( 1619 – 1692 ), a philosopher who had become a symbol of Han resistance to Manchu invasion.

* Han Fei, Chinese philosopher from State of Han ( 280 – 233 BC )

* The Chinese philosopher Li Kui writes the Book of Law ( Fajing, 法经 ) in 407 BC, the basis for the law codes of the following Qin Dynasty and partially that of the Han Dynasty.

* Han Yu, philosopher, essayist, and poet in Tang Dynasty China ( d. 824 )

* Han Yu, philosopher, essayist, and poet in Tang Dynasty China ( b. 768 )

* 233 BC – Han Fei, Chinese philosopher who, along with Li Si, has developed Xun Zi's philosophy into the doctrine embodied by the School of Law ( or Legalism ) ( b. c. 280 BC )

* Han Fei, Chinese philosopher who, along with Li Si, has developed Xun Zi's philosophy into the doctrine embodied by the School of Law ( or Legalism ) ( b. c. 280 BC )

Similar Chinese accounts of flying automata are written of the 5th century BC Mohist philosopher Mozi and his contemporary Lu Ban, who made artificial wooden birds ( ma yuan ) that could successfully fly according to the Han Fei Zi and other texts.

* c. 80 AD-In his Lunheng ( 論衡 ; Critical Essays ), the Han Dynasty Chinese philosopher Wang Chong ( 27-97 AD ) dispels the Chinese myth of rain coming from the heavens, and states that rain is evaporated from water on the earth into the air and forms clouds, stating that clouds condense into rain and also form dew, and says when the clothes of people in high mountains are moistened, this is because of the air-suspended rain water.

The German philosopher and media theorist Byung-Chul Han in his 2012 work Transparenzgesellschaft sees transparency as a cultural norm created by neoliberal market forces, which he understands as the insatiable drive toward voluntary disclosure bordering on the pornographic.

Because of Li Si and Han Feizi's staunch anti-Confucian stances, Xunzi's reputation as a Confucian philosopher has often come into question.

280 – 233 BC ), also known as Han Feizi, was a Chinese philosopher who, along with Li Si, Gongsun Yang, Shen Dao and Shen Buhai, developed the doctrine of Legalism.

One of the earliest accounts was a description by the Han Dynasty philosopher Wang Chong ( A. D. 27 – 97 ) around A. D. 80.

As a philosopher, Li was heavily influenced by Buddhism and also the great neo-Confucian Han Yu.

100 AD ), courtesy name Zhongren ( 仲任 ), was a Chinese philosopher active during the Han Dynasty.