Scholars › Philosopher / Thinker
Yang Zhu
Early Warring States thinker who taught valuing one's own life; his school rivalled Mohism and drew Mencius's sharp attack.
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 Master Yang · Yang Ziju (as named in the Zhuangzi)
Yang Zhu was an early Warring States thinker, said to come from Wei or from Qin, who lived after Mozi and before Mencius. He taught that one should value one's own life and keep one's nature intact rather than harm it for external gain, and for a time his school rivalled Mohism. None of his own writings survive; his views are known from the Mencius, Zhuangzi, Lüshi Chunqiu and Han Feizi. In 'Jin Xin I' Mencius condemns him as a man who would not pluck out a single hair to benefit the world, setting him against Mozi's universal love.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; c. 440–360 BCE (alternatively c. 450–370 BCE)