TIMELINE OF EARLY CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

DATE (BC)

CONFUCIANS

MOHISTS

DAOISTS

LEGALISM & NATURALISM

GENERAL

 

 

1045-771

 

 

Pre-philosophical era

 Western Zhou: early, "utopian era" founded by King Wen (preconquest), King Wu and the Duke of Zhou; late, sudden decline and "barbarian" sack of capital.

 

771

 

 "Spring and Autumn Period" of the era of disunity begins.

600-500

  

Birth of Confucius (551)

Confucius begins to teach (c. 520)

   [Legendary life of Laozi]

 

 

    
 

New iron age tools begin to make possible better harvests (population growth) and deadlier weapons

 

500-400

 Confucius leaves Lu; period of wandering begins (c. 497)

Confucius dies in Lu (479)

Confucius's disciples carry on his teachings - Zixia to Wei; Zengzi in Lu

 

 

 

  

 

 

Mozi begins anti-Confucian teaching

 Hermit tradition begins to grow

 

  
 

Beginning of "Warring States" era (453) - scale of warfare begins to grow, promoting state centralization

 

 
400-300  

 

 

Mencius teaches in Lu

Mencius's wandering career begins (c. 325)

War between Qi & Yan leads to Mencius's retirement (314)

  

 

 

 

Huizi's paradoxes (possibly Mohist inspired; c. 350)

 

Later Mohist philosophers of language active

 

  

 

 

Zhuangzi in his prime (c. 350?)

 

 

 

 Teachings of Yang Zhu may have inspired or been influenced by longevity cults, c. 400

 

Shang Yang's proto-Legalist reforms in Qin (c. 350)

 

 

 

  

 

 

Concepts of qi and yin-yang gain in prominence

 

The Jixia Academy formed in the state of Qi
300-200  

Xunzi comes to Jixia Academy

 

Xunzi rises to position of Chief Libationer at Jixia

 

 

 

Final composition of The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean (c. 220-210?)

   Earliest known Dao de jing manuscript (c. 300) shows text in state of development

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Zou Yan's naturalism influential at Jixia Academy

Rise of occult schools

 

 

Han Feizi and Li Si study under Xunzi at Jixia

Han Feizi and Li Si develop Legalist ideas

Li Si's plots lead to Han Feizi's death in Qin (233)

Li Si becomes Qin Prime Minister (c. 220)

 

  

 

 

 

Jixia Academy closes after invasion of Qi

 

 

The Qin conquest - era of the "hundred schools" comes to a close (221)