MUZIChinese Matrix
Scholars › Philosopher / Thinker
Warring States scholar of Qi at the Jixia Academy, known with Song Xing, to whom the Book of Han ascribes the Yin Wenzi
A thatched pavilion open on three sides stands among tall bamboo; one person sits with their back turned at the veranda rail beside a zither and a stack of bamboo slips, while a stone path runs to a calm pond reflecting clouds and distant hills.
Also known as Yinwenzi · Yinwenzi Zuozhe · Jixia Mingbian Xuezhe
Yin Wen was a man of Qi in the Warring States period and a scholar at the Jixia Academy, named together with Song Xing. The treatise on literature in the Book of Han lists him under the School of Names, and his ideas also show Huang-Lao Daoist features. The Shuoyuan has him urging King Xuan of Qi to govern by non-action, and the Lüshi Chunqiu has him teaching that one should not fight when insulted. The Zhuangzi says he and Song Xing called for an end to war and for few desires, and the Gongsun Longzi records Gongsun Long quoting him. The Book of Han lists a Yin Wenzi in one piece; the authenticity of the received text is disputed.
ZhouThe Zhuangzi chapter Tianxia describes a way that is not burdened by custom, not dressed up in things, and wishes the world peace so as to keep the people alive, and says Song Xing and Yin Wen heard of it and were pleased. The Treatise on Literature in the Book of Han lists the Yinwenzi in one chapter under the School of Names.