During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (770–221 BCE), when Zhou authority declined, many thinkers appeared and formed the foundation of Chinese thought.
Features of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods
- Spring and Autumn period (770–403 BCE): Feudal lords competed for supremacy under Zhou authority
- Warring States period (403–221 BCE): Social upheaval advanced, and the Seven Warring States (Qin, Chu, Yan, Qi, Han, Wei, and Zhao) fought one another
- The spread of iron farming tools and ox-drawn plows → increased agricultural productivity → competition to make states wealthy and armies strong
The Hundred Schools of Thought
Ideas for bringing order to an age of turmoil flourished:
・Confucianism (Confucius and Mencius): Government based on benevolence, ritual, and virtue (benevolent rule)
・Daoism (Laozi and Zhuangzi): Nonaction and following nature; rejection of artificial institutions
・Legalism (Han Feizi): Authoritarian government based on laws and punishments → adopted by Qin
・Mohism (Mozi): Universal love (love without discrimination) and opposition to offensive war
・Military thought (Sunzi): “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles.”
Ideas for bringing order to an age of turmoil flourished:
・Confucianism (Confucius and Mencius): Government based on benevolence, ritual, and virtue (benevolent rule)
・Daoism (Laozi and Zhuangzi): Nonaction and following nature; rejection of artificial institutions
・Legalism (Han Feizi): Authoritarian government based on laws and punishments → adopted by Qin
・Mohism (Mozi): Universal love (love without discrimination) and opposition to offensive war
・Military thought (Sunzi): “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles.”
Key Points
- Confucianism (Confucius) → foundation of East Asian culture: benevolence, ritual, and virtue
- Legalism → contributed to Qin’s unification
- “The Hundred Schools of Thought” = various schools of thought, with a major influence even today
Practice Questions
- Who was the founder of Confucianism, which advocated moral government (benevolent rule) centered on “benevolence” and “ritual”?
- State the name of the school that advocated rule through laws and punishments and influenced Qin’s government, as well as its representative thinker.
- Give the famous saying associated with Sunzi.
Answers
- Confucius
- Legalism, Han Feizi
- “Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles.”