About “Huainanzi”

The Huainanzi is an ancient Chinese philosophical and governmental text compiled from scholarly debates held at the court of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, before 139 BCE. It was created as a compendium for an enlightened ruler and his court, aiming to define the conditions for a perfect socio-political order. The text incorporates ideas from Taoist, Legalist, Confucian, and Mohist traditions, but it emphasizes a less active ruler, reflecting the political climate of the early Han dynasty. It shows a strong influence from the Zhuangzi and includes Chinese folk theories of yin and yang, as well as Wu Xing. The Huainanzi serves as a philosophical guide for governance and reflects the intellectual discussions of its time. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)

Book details

ISBN
9780231142045

Frequently asked questions

How many pages is Huainanzi?

Huainanzi by Liu An has 1016 pages.

Some summaries adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.