hui shi

  • Zhuangzi

    Zhuangzi (c. 369–286 BCE) was a major philosopher of the Warring States period. His given name was Zhou, and he was a native of Meng in the state of Song—traditionally identified either as northeast of modern Shangqiu, Henan, or near Dingyuan, Anhui.

  • Mencius – Chapter 1.1 Benevolence & Righteousness over Profit

    Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang, who said, “Venerable sir, you have traveled a thousand miles to see me – surely you must have some way to benefit my state?”

  • Drumming on a Basin: Mourning turned to music [Warring States]

    Among the Hundred Schools of Thought in pre-Qin China, Zhuangzi (Zhuang Zhou) stood apart – not merely as a philosopher, but as a poetic visionary whose ideas shimmered with paradox, humor, and profound detachment. His worldview, rooted in Daoism, rejected rigid rituals, social ambition, and even conventional grief. To Zhuangzi, the cosmos was a…

  • Zhuangzi and Yuanchu – the noble Phoenix [Warring States]

    During the Warring States period, Hui Shi – better known as Master Hui (Hui Zi or Huizi) – rose to become Chancellor of Wei, a state often referred to as Liang due to its capital at Daliang. Hui Zi was not only a prominent statesman but also a renowned logician and philosopher, famed for…

  • Hui Shi’s art of persuasion

    “Hui Zi is forever using analogies,” complained someone to the king of Liang. “If Your Majesty forbid him to speak in analogies, he won’t be able to make his meaning clear.”