法家 (Fǎjiā): Legalist school (of Warring Sta…

Meanings

1 Legalist school (of Warring States philosophy)
2 a Legalist thinker

Characters

法

Examples

法家主张依法治国。

Fǎjiā zhǔzhāng yī fǎ zhì guó.

The Legalists advocated governing the state by law.

韩非是法家的代表人物。

Hán Fēi shì Fǎjiā de dàibiǎo rénwù.

Han Fei is the representative figure of the Legalist school.

Tips

history

One of the 诸子百家 (Hundred Schools). Key thinkers: 商鞅 (Shang Yang), 韩非 (Han Fei), 李斯 (Li Si). Argued that human nature is self-interested and only strict laws, rewards, and punishments — not Confucian ritual — can hold a state together. Provided the operating manual for Qin's unification of China in 221 BC.