Han Fei

Han Fei (Chinese: 韓非; [xǎn féɪ]; c. 280 – 233 BC), also known as Han Feizi, was an influential political philosopher of the Warring States period "Chinese Legalist" school. Han synthesized the methods of his predecessors, as described in his eponymous work, the Han Feizi. His writings were very influential on the future first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. After the early demise of the Qin Dynasty Han's philosophy was officially vilified by the following Han Dynasty. Despite its outcast status throughout the history of imperial China, his political theory continued to heavily influence every dynasty thereafter, and the Confucian ideal of a rule without laws was never again realized.

Han borrowed Shang Yang's emphasis on laws, Shen Buhai's emphasis on technique, and Shen Dao's ideas on authority and prophecy, emphasizing that the autocrat will be able to achieve firm control over the state with the mastering of his predecessors methodologies: his position of power (勢, Shì); technique (術, Shù), and law (法, Fǎ).