The ''Qianfu Lun'' ( zh, , ''Qiánfū lún'', "Comments of a Recluse"), also known by its
Wade-Giles romanization ''Ch'ien-fu Lun'', is a
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studi ...
-
metaphysical
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of consci ...
text by the
Later Han Later Han (後漢) may refer to two dynastic states in imperial China:
*Eastern Han
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of ...
philosopher Wang Fu.
It contains criticisms of contemporary societies, especially the power of
consort clan
The consort kin ({{zh, c=外戚, p=wàiqì) was the kin or a group of people related to an empress dowager or a consort of a monarch or a warlord in the Sinosphere. The leading figure of the clan was either a (usually male) sibling, cousin, or ...
s and the growing
regionalism. In the work, Wang Fu strongly supports the
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
model of good government and
humanism
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "human ...
.
Further reading
* Anne Behnke Kinney. ''The Art of the Han Essay: Wang Fu's Ch'ien-Fu Lun''. Phoenix: Arizona State University Center for Asian Research, 1990.
References
External links
Full text of the ''Qianfu Lun'' (Chinese)-