Ancient China · Philosopher

Yang Zhu 楊朱

Attested BC 440 - BC 300

Passages: 4
Chapters: 4
Histories: 4

Overview

Yang Zhu was a Philosopher.

Life and dates

Attested activity

BC 440 to BC 360 BC 440-360
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 32, passage 107
BC 400 to BC 300 楊、墨、釋、老
Dated from the passage context · History of Ming 298, passage 95
BC 370 to BC 330 楊硃
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 39, passage 36
BC 400 楊硃
Directly stated · Book of Han 98, passage 241

Key source chapters

Learning and skills

Skill art of guarding quietude 守靜之術
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 39, passage 36

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Mo Di (墨翟)
Directly stated · Book of Han 98, passages 241-242

Assessments and attributes

Assessment exemplar of inward quiet invoked by Liu Ba · Mode quotation Speaker Liu Ba (劉巴)
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 39, passage 36

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 39, passage 36

References in the histories

Book of Han, Chapter 98Volume 87a: Yang Xiong 1 · 1 passage

群公常伯楊硃、墨翟之徒喟然稱曰：「崇哉乎德，雖有唐、虞、大廈、成周之隆，何以侈茲！ The assembled lords and ministers, Yang Zhu, Mozi, and their like, sighed and said, "How lofty is this virtue! Though Yao and Shun had their glory, and though the Great Hall of Xia and flourishing Zhou rose so high, how could they surpass this!

Book of Later Han, Chapter 32Volume 28b: Biography of Feng Yan · 1 passage

楊朱號乎衢路兮，墨子泣乎白絲； Yang Zhu cried out at the crossroads; Mozi wept for silk turned from white;

History of Ming, Chapter 298Volume 298 Biographies 186: Recluses · 1 passage

嘗言：「楊、墨、釋、老，聖道之賊，管、商、申、韓，治道之賊，稗官野乘，正史之賊，支詞艷說，文章之賊。 He once said: "Yang Zhu, Mozi, Buddhism, and Daoism are enemies of the sage's Way; Guan Zhong, Shang Yang, Shen Buhai, and Han Fei are enemies of good governance; unofficial histories and wild records are enemies of orthodox history; florid and seductive writings are enemies of true literature.

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 39Volume 39: Book of Shu 9: Biographies of Dong, Liu, Ma, Chen, Dong, and Lü · 1 passage

欲遣週不疑就巴學，巴答曰：「昔遊荊北，時涉師門，記問之學，不足紀名，內無楊硃守靜之術，外無墨翟務時之風，猶天之南箕，虛而不用。 wanted to send Zhou Buyi to study under him. Liu Ba replied: "In my travels north of the Jing region I did visit teachers now and then, but rote cramming hardly earns one a reputation. I have neither Yang Zhu’s inward quiet nor Mozi’s zeal for practical affairs—I am the Nanji constellation in the sky, bright yet useless.