Wang Bi 王弼 | |
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| Born | 226 |
| Died | 249 (aged 23) |
| Other names | Fusi (輔嗣) |
| Occupation(s) | Philosopher, politician |
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| Chinese | 王弼 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Wang Bi (Chinese: 王弼; 226–249), courtesy name Fusi (Chinese: 輔嗣), was a Chinese philosopher and politician. During his brief career he produced commentaries on the Tao Te Ching and I Ching which were highly influential in Chinese philosophy.[1][2]
Wang Bi served as a minor bureaucrat in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. He died from an epidemic at the age of 23.[3][4]
Wang Bi's most important works are commentaries on Laozi's Tao Te Ching and the I Ching. The text of the Tao Te Ching that appeared with his commentary was widely considered the best copy of his work until the discovery of the Han-era Mawangdui texts in 1973. He was a scholar of Xuanxue.
At least three works by Wang Bi are known: a commentary on Confucius' Analects, which survives only in quotations; commentaries on the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching, which not only have survived but have greatly influenced subsequent Chinese thought on those two classics.
His commentary on the I Ching has been translated into English by Richard John Lynn, The Classic of Changes (New York: Columbia University, 1994) ISBN 0-231-08295-9
Several translations into English have been made of his commentary of the Tao Te Ching:
