The Solitary and Indignant Soul of Han Feizi

Han Fei (c. 280–233 BC) was a nobleman of the state of Han in the late Warring States period and the foremost synthesizer of Legalist thought. He studied under Xunzi and was a fellow student of Li Si. Though he stuttered, he was a gifted writer whose works were powerful and grand in style. At the heart of his philosophy was a theory of absolute monarchy built on the integration of “law, statecraft, and authority.” He advocated replacing “rule by men” with “rule of law,” insisting that “punishment for crimes must spare no high-ranking official, and rewards for good deeds must not pass over commoners.” His writings, collected in the fifty-five chapters of Han Feizi, include such famous essays as “Solitary Indignation,” “The Five Vermin,” and “The Difficulties of Persuasion.” Though Han Fei was not valued in Han, his ideas were adopted by Qin Shi Huang and became the guiding principles of governance after Qin unified China. Later, slandered out of jealousy by Li Si, he died unjustly in a Qin prison. His theories profoundly influenced the bureaucratic institutions and legal system of ancient China.