Notable people
77 peopleFigures with the most linked events, works and records.
Scholars
Philosopher / Thinker
Thinkers who set out systematic doctrines and shaped later scholarship
150people
Mural guide
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.
Thinkers are people who set out systematic doctrines that shaped later scholarship and values, such as the masters of the pre-Qin schools and the scholars of the Neo-Confucian schools of principle and of mind from the Song and Ming on. Their views are recorded in their own works and in notes by their disciples. They differ from historians and educators in that doctrine is their main achievement.
People in this role
- Xu YouDates unknown; legendary contemporary of Yao
- Ji ZiDates unknown; late Shang to early Zhou
- Bo YiDates unknown; late Shang to early Zhou
- Shu QiDates unknown; late Shang to early Zhou
- Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan)Dates unknown; early Western Zhou
- Guan Zhongc. 719 BCE–645 BCE
- Ji ZhaDates unknown; Wu, late Spring and Autumn period
- Laozi (Lao-Tzu)Dates unknown; late Spring and Autumn period
- Zi ChanBirth unknown–522 BCE
- Confucius (Kongzi)551 BCE–479 BCE
- Zeng XiDates unknown; late Spring and Autumn, a contemporary of Confucius
- You RuoDates unknown; late Spring and Autumn; the Shiji says he was 43 years younger than Confucius
- Sun Wu (Sun Tzu)Dates unknown; late Spring and Autumn period
- Ran Youc. 522 BCE–death unknown
- Zengzic. 505 BCE–c. 435 BCE
- Zi SiDates unknown; early Warring States
- Mozic. 468 BCE–c. 376 BCE
- Li KuiDates unknown; served Marquis Wen of Wei
- Lie ZiDates unknown; traditionally of Zheng in the early Warring States
- Yang ZhuDates unknown; c. 440–360 BCE (alternatively c. 450–370 BCE)
- Gui GuziDates unknown; mid–Warring States
- Shang Yangc. 390 BCE–338 BCE
- Shen Daoc. 390 BCE - c. 315 BCE
- Shi Jiaoc. 390 BCE - c. 330 BCE
- Mencius (Mengzi)c. 372 BCE–c. 289 BCE
No people in this role for that dynasty.