The Jianzhuke Shu () was a petition to
Ying Zheng, King of Qin, written by
Li Si in 243 BC. Written in response to an order to expel all officers serving in the
State of Qin
Qin (, , or ''Ch'in'') was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. It is traditionally dated to 897 BC. The state of Qin originated from a reconquest of western lands that had previously been lost to the Xirong. Its location at ...
who were not born in Qin, it successfully persuaded Ying Zheng to rescind the expulsion order, and also began Li Si's career as a leading politician in Qin.
Background
During the
Warring States period
The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...
, it was common practice for learned men whose careers might have been frustrated in their homelands to travel to other countries in search of service and patronage. Li Si himself was such an individual, having been born in the
State of Chu
Chu (, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was an Ancient Chinese states, ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BC. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou heartland and lasted ...
but unable to progress in an official career there.
The initial policy of openness to outsiders changed in 244 BC, due to the controversy surrounding the
Zhengguo Canal; the
State of Han had dispatched
Zheng Guo, a skilled engineer, to Qin on the pretext of helping them build an irrigation canal. Subsequently, however, it was discovered that this was really a scheme by Han to weaken Qin by diverting its resources towards canal construction. At the instigation of a clique of officials within the Qin court, suspicion soon became widened to include all guest officers from outside Qin, and Ying Zheng issued an order to expel all foreigners.
Li Si, himself a foreigner, was also caught up in the purge; his petition was composed while he was being expelled from Qin.
Ying Zheng finally accepted Li Si's suggestion and withdrew the order. Twenty years later, Ying Zheng unified ancient China and became the first
Emperor of China
Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" () was the superlative title held by the monarchs of imperial China's various dynasties. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was the " Son of Heaven", an autocrat with the divine mandat ...
, thus marking the establishment of the unified
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...
.
External links
Full text of ''Jianzhukeshu'' in Classical Chinese
{{wikisourcelang, zh, 諫逐客書, Jianzhuke Shu
Qin (state)
243 BC
Legalist texts