The Evolutionary Process of the Concept of Fa during the Warring States Period, with a Close Focus on the Book of Guanz
Author: Masayuki Sato
Abstract / Chinese PDF Download
This article analyzes the concept of fa found in the Guanzi, together with the relevant discourse based on this concept and its intellectual significance. First, I examine how scholars of the 20th century understood the discourse on fa in the Guanzi. Then, I explain that there are four meanings to the Guanzi’s concept of fa: “measurements”, “regulations of the government”, “principle of the natural world”, and yi (behavioral form). I then proceed to clarify the concept of fa in the Guanzi, which can be divided into: (1) As a search for the moral order (li) of the ideal country; (2) as a link with metaphysical concepts; (3) as a development within the context of “impartiality” and “selfishness” (gong and si) discourse. Based on the findings of this analysis, the article discusses the possibility that the multilevel structure of the discourse on famight reflect the course of its development, and that the fa discourse of the Guanzi developed in a sequence starting from the the “Seven Standards” chapter (Qifa七法), to the “On Conforming to the Law” chapter (Fafa法法), and then finally to the “Reliance on Law” chapter (Renfa任法). In sum, since the fa discourse in the “On Conforming to the Law” chapter also contains the other important themes found in the Guanzi, such as the “impartiality – selfishness” discourse, it presents the characteristic of holding the fa in a supreme place, and if we refer to the content of the fa discourse in the “Reliance on Law” chapter as the fundamental characteristic of the Guanzi’s thought, then the fa discourse of the Guanzi could truly be known as Warring States.
Keywords：Discourse of Fa、Guan Zhong、Legalism、The Book of Guanzi