Shenzi 慎子

Shenzi 慎子 "Master Shen" is a philosophical treatise attributed to the legalist philosopher Shen Dao 慎到 (c. 350-275 BCE) from the Warring States period 戰國 (5th cent.-221 BCE). Shen Dao hailed from the state of Zhao 趙 and was a teacher at the Jixia Academy 稷下 of the state of Qi 齊 during the reign of King Xuan 齊宣王 (r. 342-324). One of his colleagues was the philosopher Tian Pian 田駢 (see Tianzi 田子).

According to the universal history Shiji 史記 from the Han period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE), the book of Shen Dao consisted of twelve "treatises" (lun 論). The imperial bibliography Yiwen zhi 藝文志 in the official dynastic history Hanshu 漢書 says that the Shenzhi had a length of 42 chapters. Of these, only 10 juan were left during the Tang period 唐 (618-907). It is known that a certain Teng Fu 滕輔 had written a commentary on the Shenzi. During the Song period 宋 (960-1279), two versions of the Shenzi were circulating, one in 37 chapters spread over 9 juan, and one in 5 chapters integrated in 1 juan.

These two parts might have been identical to the original book (37 plus 5 makes 42, as Jin Dejian 金德建, 1909-1996, remarked). The bibliography Zhizhai shulu jieti 直齋書錄解題 says that the book was 5 chapters long. They were undoubtedly only a fragment of the original text. In contrast to this statement, the book catalogue Chongwen zongmu 崇文總目 lists the 37-chapter version. After the Song period, this longer part was lost, and only the fragmentary version survived. Except for the five chapters, there are two further chapters surviving in the collection Qunshu zhiyao 群書治要. All seven chapters were put together and found their way into Qian Xizuo's 錢熙祚 (d. 1844) series Shoushange congshu 守山閣叢書. Some 10 fragments survive as quotations in other books. During the late Ming period 明 (1368-1644), there was a version in circulation that was divided into "inner" and "outer" chapters, with 89 paragraphs. Yet this text was a forgery by a certain Shen Maoshang 慎懋賞 (16th cent.).

Although the Shenzi includes thoughts of a vast ideological spectrum (the compilers of the imperial series Siku quanshu 四庫全書 therefore classified it as a "miscellaneous treatise", zajia 雜家), it is an early document of legalist thinking which stressed the importance of ruling by law and strengthening the position of the ruler. Shen Dao was criticised by Xun Kuang 荀況 (Xunzi 荀子; 313-238) for his lack in stressing the importance of employing competent ministers (xian 賢). Only with the support of able persons would a ruler would be strong enough. Laws alone would not suffice. Shen Dao's ideas were, in Xunzi's words, "unable to govern a country with" (bu ke yi jing guo ding fen 不可以經國定分).

The preserved version of the Shenzi is also to be found in the series Zihui 子匯, Zhuzi jicheng 諸子集成 and Siku quanshu.