Confucius and Mencius belong to the Confucian school, Laozi belongs to the Taoist school, and Han Feizi belongs to the Legalist school.

1. Confucius

Confucius (September 28, 551 BC - April 11, 479 BC), whose surname was Kong, whose given name was Qiu, and whose courtesy name was Zhongni. , a native of Zou Yi (now Qufu, Shandong Province) of the state of Lu in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and a native of Liyi (now Xiayi, Henan Province) of the Song Dynasty, was an ancient Chinese thinker, educator, and founder of the Confucian school.

Confucius created the culture of private lectures and advocated benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and trustworthiness. He once led some of his disciples to travel around the country for thirteen years. In his later years, he revised the Six Classics of Poems, Book, Rites, Music, Yi, and Spring and Autumn.

According to legend, Confucius once asked Laozi for advice and had three thousand disciples, including seventy-two sages. After Confucius's death, his disciples and his subsequent disciples recorded the words, deeds, quotes and thoughts of Confucius and his disciples, and compiled them into the Confucian classic "The Analects of Confucius".

2. Mencius

Mencius (approximately 372 BC - 289 BC), surnamed Ji, Meng, given name Ke, given name Ziyu, lived in the state of Zou (now Zou, Shandong) during the Warring States Period city) people.

A famous philosopher, thinker, politician, and educator during the Warring States Period. He was one of the representatives of the Confucian school. His status was second only to Confucius, and he was also called "Confucius and Mencius" together with Confucius. He promoted "benevolent government" and was the first to put forward the idea of ??"the people are more important than the monarch".

Han Yu's "Yuan Dao" listed Mencius as a figure among the pre-Qin Confucians who inherited Confucius' "Taoism". The Yuan Dynasty named Mencius "Ya Shenggong Shuchen" and was honored as "Ya Sheng". "Mencius" This book is a collection of quotation-style essays. It is a collection of Mencius's remarks. It was compiled by Mencius and his disciple ***, and advocates "taking benevolence as the basis".

3. Laozi

Laozi, whose surname is Li and Ming'er, whose given name is Dan, whose first name is Boyang, or whose posthumous title is Boyang. He was born in the late Spring and Autumn Period. His birth and death dates are unknown. He was born in Ku County (ancient county name) of Chen (later moved to Chu) State during the Spring and Autumn Period of the Zhou Dynasty. An ancient Chinese thinker, philosopher, writer and historian, the founder and main representative of the Taoist school.

Laozi is a world cultural celebrity and one of the world's 100 historical celebrities. Together with Zhuangzi, he is also known as Laozi and Zhuangzi. In Taoism, Lao Tzu is revered as the ancestor of Taoism and is called the "Tai Shang Lao Jun". In the Tang Dynasty, Laozi was posthumously regarded as the ancestor of the Li surname.

Laozi's surviving works include "Tao Te Ching" (also known as "Laozi"), which is one of the most widely published works in the world. In the 1980s, according to UNESCO statistics, among the world's cultural masterpieces, the Bible was translated into foreign languages ??and published with the largest circulation, followed by the Tao Te Ching.

4. Han Feizi

Han Fei (about 280 BC - 233 BC), a native of Xinzheng (now Xinzheng City, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province), the capital of South Korea during the Warring States Period, was a Legalist Representative figure, outstanding thinker, philosopher and essayist. The son of King Han, a student of Xunzi, and a senior fellow student of Li Sitong.

Han Feizi is the master of Legalism. His works on Legalism provided a theoretical basis for the birth of China's first unified and authoritarian centralized state.

Han Fei loved his motherland deeply, but he was not taken seriously by the King of Han. However, the King of Qin sent troops to attack South Korea in order to get Han Fei. After Han Fei entered Qin, he wrote to the King of Qin about his strategy to weaken Qin and protect Han, but in the end he could not be used by the King of Qin. Han Fei was imprisoned because of his impeachment against Yao Jia, the minister in charge of the imperial court, which led to Yao Jia's revenge.

Later Li Si was imprisoned and poisoned. Although Han Feizi died, his Legalist thoughts were reused by King Yingzheng of Qin, who regarded "Han Feizi" as the key to the governance of Qin. Help Qin become rich and powerful, and finally unify the six countries. Han Fei's thoughts were profound and advanced, and had a profound impact on future generations.

Extended information:

1. Confucianism

Confucianism is the school of thought that has the most extensive and far-reaching influence on later generations among the pre-Qin scholars. It was founded by Confucius at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. First of its kind. Confucius's remarks were compiled into the Analects of Confucius, which is the main basis for studying Confucius' thoughts.

Confucianism takes "benevolence" as the center, advocates "ancestors tell Yao and Shun, constitutions of civil and military affairs", advocates "rituals and music", "benevolence and righteousness", and advocates "loyalty, forgiveness" and the impartial "gold mean". Politically, we advocate the implementation of "benevolent government" and "moral governance" and attach great importance to ethics and moral education.

Confucianism is the core of traditional Chinese culture and the theoretical basis for maintaining the autocratic rule of feudal monarchy. Confucianism and the monarchy system constitute the two main contents of ancient Chinese political history.

2. Taoist school

Taoist school is an academic sect centered on Lao-Zhuang theory. It was formed in the pre-Qin period. Its doctrine takes "Tao" as the highest philosophical category and believes that "Tao" is the highest truth of the world, "Tao" is the origin of all things in the universe, and Tao is the basis for the survival of all things in the universe.

The The school uses "Tao" to explore the relationship between nature, society and life. The main representative figures are Fuxi, Huangdi, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Liezi, Guiguzi, Zhang Liang, Sima Hui, Zhuge Liang, Liu Bowen, Wang Tong and so on. The foundation of Taoism, Taoism is the inheritance and development of Taoism

3. Legalism School

Legalism is an important school in Chinese history that advocates legality as the core idea. One of the hundreds of schools of thought, it is unanimously considered by ancient people and modern scholars to be a branch of Taoism.

Shang Yang attaches great importance to "method", Shen Buhai attaches great importance to "technique", and Shen Dao attaches great importance to "power".

At the end of the Warring States Period, Han Fei synthesized the strengths of various schools and discussed law, technique, and power, which became Legalist thought.

Legalism is listed as one of the "Nine Streams" in "Hanshu Yiwenzhi". It was proposed to enrich the country, strengthen the military, and rule the country by law. The law is implemented through specific punishments, rewards and punishments. "Hanshu·Yiwenzhi" lists it as one of the "Nine Streams".

The origins of Legalist thought can be traced back to Guan Zhong, Shi Gai, and Zi Chan in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the actual ancestor is Li Kui in the early Warring States Period. In addition, there are Wu Qi, Shen Dao, Shen Buhai, Shang Yang, Han Feizi, etc., who are all called "early Legalists", and Shang Yang is the main representative of early Legalists. There are also Qi Legalists who, in addition to advocating the implementation of the rule of law, also advocate the accommodation of etiquette and moral education.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Han Feizi

Baidu Encyclopedia - Laozi

Baidu Encyclopedia - Mencius

Baidu Encyclopedia - Confucius