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An Encyclopaedia on Chinese History and Literature
This table provides a chronological overview over the various schools and traditions of Chinese philosophy, and the most important thinkers (in biographical shape) from antiquity to the 20th century. You can also find information about tendencies in philosophy over time by browsing the navigation to the left.
| Masters of the "Hundred Schools" (baijia 百家 ) and early philosophical tendencies | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Hundred Schools of Thought | 諸子百家 zhuzi baijia | |
| Confucians | 儒家 Rujia | |
| Kong Qiu, Confucius (Kongzi, Zhongni) | 孔丘 (孔子, 中尼) | (551-479 BCE) |
| Zuo Qiuming | 左丘明 | (6th/5th cent. BCE) |
| Gongyang Gao | 公羊高 | (5th cent. BCE) |
| Guliang Shu | 穀梁淑 | (5th cent. BCE) |
| Kong Ji (Zisi) | 孔伋 (子思) | (483-402 BCE) |
| Meng Ke, Mencius (Mengzi) | 孟軻 (孟子) | (385/372-304/289 BCE) |
| Daoists | 道家 Daojia | |
| Li Dan (Laozi) | 李耽 (老子) | (? BCE) |
| Guan Yin (Guanyinzi) | 關尹 (關尹子) | (? BCE) |
| Wenzi | 文子 | (? BCE) |
| Lie Yukou (Liezi) | 列御寇 (列子) | (fl. 400 BCE) |
| Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi) | 莊周 (莊子) | (c. 369-286 BCE) |
| Liu An (Huainanzi) | 劉安 (淮南子) | (179-122 BCE) |
| Mohists and Logicians | 墨家 Mojia | |
| Mo Di (Mozi) | 墨翟 (墨子) | (c. 476-c. 390 BCE) |
| Chanzi | 纏子 | (4th cent. BCE) |
| Tian Qiu | 田俅 | (ca. 360-300 BCE) |
| Sui Chao | 隨巢 | (4th cent. BCE) |
| Hu Fei | 胡非 | (4th cent. BCE) |
| Coalition advisors or "diplomatists" | 縱橫家 Zonghengjia | |
| Legalists | 法家 Fajia | |
| Zichan | 子產 | (d. 522 BCE) |
| Li Kui | 李悝 | (c. 455-395 BCE) |
| Shen Buhai | 申不害 | (c. 420-337 BCE) |
| Shen Dao (Shenzi) | 慎到 (慎子) | (c. 395-315 BCE) |
| Shang Yang | 商鞅 | (c. 390-338 BCE) |
| Han Fei (Hanfeizi) | 韓非 (韓非子) | (c. 281-233 BCE) |
| The School of of Guan Zhong | 管仲學派 Guan Zhong xuepai | |
| Guan Zhong (Guanzi) | 管仲 (管子) | (725-645 BCE) |
| "Sophists" or Dialecticians, the "School of Designations" | 名家 Mingjia | |
| Deng Xi | 鄧析 | (545-501 BCE) |
| Hui Shi (Huizi) | 惠施 (惠子) | (c. 370-310 BCE) |
| Gongsun Long | 公孫龍 | (320-250 BCE) |
| "Hedonists" or "Egoists", the School of Yang Zhu, Yangists | 楊朱學派 Yang Zhu xuepai | |
| Yang Zhu | 楊朱 | (440-360 BCE) |
| Yin-Yang School | (Yinyangjia 陰陽家) | |
| Zou Yan | 鄒衍 | (c. 305-240 BCE) |
| Five Agents School | (Wuxing jia 五行家) | |
| The Jixia Academy | 稷下學派 Jixia xuepai | |
| Tian Pian (Tianzi) | 田騈 (田子) | (4th cent. BCE) |
| Chunyu Kun | 淳于髡 | (late 4th cent. BCE) |
| The school of Song Xing and Yin Wen | 宋尹學派 Song-Yin xuepai | |
| Song Xing | 宋銒 | (385-304 BCE) |
| Yin Wen | 尹文 | (360-280 BCE) |
| Agriculturalists | 農家 Nongjia | |
| Geomancy | 風水 fengshui | note: this is a neologism |
| The Yellow River Chart and the Inscription of the River Luo | 河圖洛書 Hetu Luoshu | |
| The Huang-Lao School | 黃老學派 Huanglao xuepai | |
| Han-Period Philosophers | ||
| Fu Sheng | 伏勝 | (early 2nd cent. BCE) |
| Shusun Tong | 叔孫通 | (d. 189 BCE) |
| Dai Sheng | 戴聖 | (early 1st cent. BCE) |
| Dai De | 戴德 | (mid-1st cent. BCE) |
| Dong Zhongshu | 董仲舒 | (179-104 BCE) |
| Kong Anguo | 孔安國 | (c. 156-c. 74 BCE) |
| Jing Fang | 京房 | (77-37 BCE) |
| Yang Xiong | 揚雄 | (53 BCE-18 CE) |
| Huan Tan | 桓譚 | (23 BCE-56 CE) |
| Wang Chong | 王充 | (27-97) |
| Jia Kui | 賈逵 | (30-101) |
| Ma Rong | 馬融 | (79-166) |
| Zheng Xuan | 鄭玄 | (127-200) |
| He Xiu | 何休 | (129-182) |
| Cai Yong | 蔡邕 | (132-192) |
| Fu Qian | 服虔 | (late 2nd cent. CE) |
| Philosophers of the Dark Age | ||
| School of the Mystery | 玄學 Xuanxue | |
| Ge Xuan | 葛玄 | (164-244) |
| He Yan | 何晏 | (190-249) |
| Wang Su | 王肅 | (195-256) |
| Huangfu Mi | 皇甫謐 | (215-282) |
| Wang Bi | 王弼 | (226-249) |
| Zhang Miao | 張邈 | (d. 292) |
| Shu Xi | 束晳 | (d. c. 300) |
| Pei Wei | 裴頠 | (267-300) |
| Ouyang Jian | 歐陽建 | (268-300) |
| Guo Pu | 郭璞 | (276-324) |
| Ge Hong | 葛洪 | (283-343/363) |
| Sun Chuo | 孫綽 | (320-377) |
| Han Kangbo | 韓康伯 | (332-380) |
| Mei Ze | 梅賾 | (fl. 400) |
| Zhang Zhan | 張湛 | (fl. 400) |
| Fan Zhen | 范縝 | (ca. 450-510) |
| Huang Kan | 皇侃 | (488-545) |
| Philosophers of the Confucian Revival | ||
| Lu Deming | 陸德明 | (ca. 550-630) |
| Kong Yingda | 孔穎達 | (574-648) |
| Song-Period Neo-Confucianism | ||
| Teachings of the Song period | 宋學 Songxue | |
| Xing Bing | 邢昺 | (932-1010) |
| Zhou Dunyi | 周敦頤 (濂溪) | (1017-1073) |
| Zhang Zai | 張載 (關學) | (1020-1077) |
| Shao Yong | 邵雍 | (1011-1077) |
| The School of the Universal Principle | 理學 lixue | |
| The Cheng Brothers Cheng Yi Cheng Hao |
二程 (洛學) 程頤 (明道) 程顥 (伊川) |
(1033-1107) (1031-1085) |
| Zhu Xi | 朱熹 | (1130-1200) |
| The School of the Mind | 心學 xinxue | |
| Lu Jiuyuan | 陸九淵 | (1139-1192) |
| Li Gou | 李覯 | (1009-1059) |
| Chen Fuliang | 陳傅良 | (1137-1203) |
| Zhang Shi | 張栻 | (1133-1180) |
| Xue Jixuan | 薛季宣 | (1134-1173) |
| Lü Zuqian | 呂祖謙 (呂學, 金華學派) | (1137-1181) |
| The Yongkang School of Thought | 永康學派 Yongkang xuepai | |
| Chen Liang | 陳亮 | (1143-1194) |
| Yuan Xie | 袁燮 | (1144-1224) |
| The Yongjia School of Thought | 永嘉學派 Yongjia xuepai | |
| Ye Shi | 葉適 | (1150-1223) |
| Zhen Dexiu | 真德秀 | (1178-1235) |
| Wei Liaoweng | 魏了翁 | (1178-1237) |
| Wen Tianxiang | 文天祥 | (1236-1283) |
| Xu Heng | 許衡 | (1209-1281) |
| Wu Cheng | 吳澄 | (1249-1333) |
| Ming-Period Philosophers | ||
| Fang Xiaoru | 方孝孺 | (1357-1402) |
| Xue Xuan | 薛瑄 | (1389-1464) |
| Zhan Ruoshui | 湛若水 | (1466-1560) |
| Wang Yangming (Wang Shouren) | 王陽明 (王守仁) | (1472-1529) |
| Lü Kun | 呂坤 | (1536-1618) |
| Li Zhi | 李贄 | (1527-1602) |
| Jiao Hong | 焦竑 | (1540-1620) |
| Qing-Period Philosophers and Thinkers | ||
| Zhedong School | 浙東學派 Zhedong xuepai | |
| Qian-Jia School or School of Han Studies | 乾嘉學派 Qian-Jia xuepai, 漢學 Hanxue | |
| Sun Qifeng | 孫奇逢 | (1585-1675) |
| Huang Zongxi | 黄宗羲 | (1610-1695) |
| Lu Shiyi | 陸世儀 | (1611-1672) |
| Zhang Lüxiang | 張履祥 | (1611-1674) | Gu Yanwu | 顧炎武 | (1613-1682) |
| Wang Fuzhi | 王夫之 | (1619-1692) |
| Mao Qiling | 毛奇齡 | (1623-1716) |
| Li Yong | 李顒 | (1627-1705) |
| Zhu Yizun | 朱彝尊 | (1629-1709) |
| Xu Qianxue | 徐乾學 | (1631-1694) |
| Gu Zuyu | 顧祖禹 | (1631-1692) |
| Hu Wei | 胡渭 | (1633-1714) |
| Wan Sida | 萬斯大 | (1633-1683) |
| Yan-Li School | 顏李學派 Yan-Li xuepai | |
| Yan Yuan | 顔元 | (1635-1704) |
| Li Gong | 李塨 | (1659-1733) |
| Yan Ruoqu | 閻若璩 | (1636-1704) |
| Yao Jiheng | 姚際恒 | (1647-1715) |
| Jiang Yong | 江永 | (1681-1762) |
| Hui Dong | 惠棟 | (1697-1758) |
| Lu Wenchao | 盧文弨 | (1717-1795) |
| Changzhou School or Gongyang School | 常州學派 Changzhou xuepai, 公羊學派 Gongyang xuepai | |
| Zhuang Cunyu | 莊存與 | (1719-1788) |
| Wang Mingsheng | 王鳴盛 | (1722-1797) |
| Dai Zhen | 戴震 | (1723-1777) |
| Ji Yun | 紀昀 | (1724-1805) |
| Qian Daxin | 錢大昕 | (1728-1804) |
| Yao Nai | 姚鼐 | (1732-1815) |
| Weng Fanggang | 翁方綱 | (1733-1818) |
| Duan Yucai | 段玉裁 | (1735-1815) |
| Zhang Xuecheng | 章學誠 | (1738-1801) |
| Wang Niansun | 王念孫 | (1744-1832) |
| Kong Guangsen | 孔廣森 | (1752-1786) |
| Ruan Yuan | 阮元 | (1764-1849) |
| Liu Fenglu | 劉逢祿 | (1776-1829) |
| Song Xiangfeng | 宋翔鳳 | (1779-1860) |
| Gong Zizhen | 龔自珍 | (1792-1841) |
| Wei Yuan | 魏源 | (1794-1857) |
| Chen Li | 陳澧 | (1810-1882) |
| Yu Yue | 俞樾 | (1821-1907) |
| Wang Xianqian | 王先謙 | (1842-1918) |
| Sun Yirang | 孫詒讓 | (1848-1908) |
| Pi Xirui | 皮錫瑞 | (1850-1909) |
| Liao Ping | 廖平 | (1852-1932) |
| Intellectual Currents from the Late 19th Century on | ||
| Kang Youwei | 康有為 | (1858-1927) |
| Wu Zhihui | 吳稚暉 | (1865-1953) |
| Sun Wen (Sun Yat-sen) | 孫文 | (1866-1925) |
| Zhang Taiyan (Zhang Binglin) | 章太炎 (章炳麟) | (1869-1936) |
| Wang Guowei | 王國維 | (1877-1927) |
| Zhang Renjie | 張人傑 | (1877-1950) |
| Li Shizeng | 李石曾 | (1881-1973) |
| Liu Shipei | 劉師培 | (1884-1920) |
| Xiong Shili | 熊十力 | (1885-1968) |
| Hu Shi | 胡適 | (1891-1962) |
| Dai Jitao | 戴季陶 | (1891-1949) |
| Liang Shuming | 梁漱溟 | (1893-1988) |
| Fan Wenlan | 范文瀾 | (1893-1969) |
| Feng Youlan | 馮友蘭 | (1895-1990) |
| He Lin | 賀麟 | (1902-1992) |
| Mou Zongsan | 牟宗三 | (1909-1995) |