Hán Fēi 韓非

 (c. 280–233 BCE) Warring States political thinker traditionally regarded as the leading representative of Legalism. A student of Xúnzǐ, he inherited a concern with names, standards, and administrative order but rejected the culture of disputation associated with the Hundred Schools. His writings emphasise fǎ 法 (‘standards’), shù 術 (‘techniques’), shì 勢 (‘positional power’), and xíng–míng 刑名/形名, the matching of official claims to actual performance. Through the Hánfēizǐ, he became one of the most influential critics of Mohism, Confucianism, and other competing intellectual traditions.