📖 Meaning
Originally referring to the representative thinkers and schools of thought during the pre-Qin period, it later became a general term for the diverse philosophical and intellectual traditions from pre-Qin times to the early Han dynasty. The phrase encompasses Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, Mohism, and many other schools that flourished in ancient China.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase first appears in the 'Biographies of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng' in Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian' (Shiji), compiled during the Western Han dynasty. The court official reported that the young scholar Jia Yi was well-versed in the writings of the various philosophical masters and schools. Emperor Wen of Han was so impressed that he summoned Jia Yi and appointed him as a court academician (boshi). The term thus originated as a description of a learned person's broad reading before becoming a standard designation for pre-Qin intellectual traditions.
💡 Example Usage
春秋战国时期诸子百家争鸣，奠定了中国思想史的基石。
During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the hundred schools of thought contended with one another, laying the foundation of Chinese intellectual history.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 诸子百家
- Pinyin: zhū zǐ bǎi jiā
- Literal Translation: various masters, hundred schools
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4