Wang Bi

Chinese philosopher and author (226–249)

In this Chinese name, the family name is  Wang.

Wang Bi

Born| 226

Shandong Province

Died| 249 (aged 23)
Other names| Fusi (輔嗣)
Occupation(s)| Philosopher, politician
Father| Wang Ye
Wang Bi

Chinese| 王弼
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Wáng Bì
Wade–Giles| Wang2 Pi4
IPA| [wǎŋ pî]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization| Wòhng Baht
Jyutping| Wong4 Bat6
IPA| [wɔŋ˩ pɐt̚˨]
Part of a series on

Taoism

* Outline
* History

Concepts

* Taoist philosophy
* Tao
* De
* Wuji
* Taiji
* Yin and yang
* Bagua
* Wuxing (five phases)
* Bianhua
* Fan (reversal)
* Wu wei (non-action)
* Ziran
* Xian (immortal)
* Zhenren
* True form
* Three Treasures
* Jing
* Qi
* Shen
* Hun and po

Practices

* Three Treasures (virtues)
* Five Precepts
* Ten Precepts
* Meditation
* Alchemy
* Neidan
* Waidan
* Bugang
* Chu
* Diet (Bigu)
* Sexual practices
* Art
* Fulu
* Priesthood

Texts

* I Ching
* Tao Te Ching
* Zhuangzi
* Huainanzi
* Taipingjing
* Xiang'er
* Liezi
* Sanhuangjing
* Huahujing
* Qingjing Jing
* Baopuzi
* Daozang

Theology

* Hongjun Laozu
* Three Pure Ones
* Yuanshi Tianzun
* Lingbao Tianzun
* Daode Tianzun
* Four heavenly ministers
* Jade Emperor
* Ziwei Emperor
* Tianhuang Emperor
* Houtu
* Queen Mother of the West
* King Father of the East
* Three Great Emperor-Officials
* Eight Immortals
* Chang'e
* Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
* Yellow Emperor
* Guan Yu
* Li Hong
* Body god

People

* Laozi
* Zhuang Zhou
* Lie Yukou

* * *

* Heshang Gong
* Wei Boyang
* Zhang Daoling
* Gan Ji
* Zhang Jue
* Zhang Lu
* Ge Xuan
* He Yan
* Wang Bi

* * *

* Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
* Guo Xiang
* Sun Hanhua
* Wei Huacun
* Ge Hong
* Bao Jingyan
* Kou Qianzhi
* Lu Xiujing
* Tao Hongjing

* * *

* Cheng Xuanying
* Chen Tuan
* Zhang Boduan
* Sun Bu'er
* Wang Chongyang
* Qiu Chuji

* * *

* Zhang Guoxiang
* Zhang Sanfeng
* Zhu Quan

* * *

* Fangshi

Schools

* Huang–Lao
* Way of the Taiping
* Xuanxue
* Shangqing School
* Way of the Li Family
* Lingbao School
* Chongxuan School
* Quanzhen School
* Dragon Gate)
* Wuliupai

* * *

* Way of the Celestial Masters
* Way of the Five Pecks of Rice
* Way of the Celestial Masters#The Southern Celestial Masters
* The Northern Celestial Masters
* Zhengyi Dao

* * *

* Chinese ritual mastery traditions
* Yao Taoism

Sacred places

* Grotto-heavens
* Sacred Mountains of China
* Wudang Mountains
* Mount Penglai
* Mount Kunlun
* Taoist temple
* White Cloud Temple
* Louguantai
* Cebu Taoist Temple
* Taoist Temple (Hanford, California)

Institutions and organizations

* Chinese Taoist Association
* Celestial Masters
* Taoist priests

* v
* t
* e

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]

## Life

[edit]

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 this work until the discovery of the Han-era Mawangdui texts in 1973. He was a scholar of Xuanxue.

## Writings

[edit]

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:

* Ariane Rump, translator Commentary on the Lao Tzu by Wang Pi, Monographs of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy, No. 6 (Honolulu: University of Hawaii, 1979) ISBN 0-8248-0677-8
* Richard John Lynn, translator The Classic of the Way and Virtue; A New Translation of the Tao-te Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi (New York: Columbia University, 1999) ISBN 0-2311-0581-9
* Rudolf Wagner, translator. A Chinese Reading of the Daodejing: Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2003) ISBN 0-791-45182-8

## See also

[edit]

* Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Wang Bi". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
2. ^ "Wang Bi". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
3. ^ Theobald, Ulrich. "Wang Bi 王弼 (www.chinaknowledge.de)". www.chinaknowledge.de. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
4. ^ Wagner, Rudolf G. (2000-01-06). The Craft of a Chinese Commentator: Wang Bi on the Laozi. SUNY Press. p. 20\. ISBN 978-0-7914-4395-8.

### Works cited

[edit]

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
* Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).

* v
* t
* e

Prominent people of Cao Wei

Emperors|

* Cao Cao (posthumously)
* Cao Pi
* Cao Rui
* Cao Fang
* Cao Mao
* Cao Huan

Empresses|

* Empress Dowager Bian
* Lady Zhen
* Empress Wende
* Empress Mingdao
* Empress Mingyuan
* Empress Huai
* Empress Zhang
* Empress Wang
* Empress Bian (Cao Mao's wife)
* Empress Bian (Cao Huan's wife)

Princes and male royal figures|

* Cao Biao
* Cao Gan
* Cao Gong
* Cao Gun
* Cao Hui
* Cao Jian
* Cao Ju (Prince of Pengcheng)
* Cao Jun (Prince of Chenliu)
* Cao Li
* Cao Lin (Prince of Donghai)
* Cao Lin (Prince of Pei)
* Cao Mao
* Cao Rui
* Cao Xie
* Cao Xun
* Cao Yan
* Cao Yong
* Cao Yu
* Cao Zhang
* Cao Zhi

Princess and female royal figures|

* Duquess Cao
* Cao Hua
* Cao Xian
* Princess Dongxiang
* Princess Jinxiang
* Princess Anyang
* Princess Changle
* Princess Qinghe
* Lady Yu
* Princess Linfen

Regents|

* Cao Shuang
* Sima Yi
* Sima Shi
* Sima Zhao
* Sima Yan

Civil officers|

* Bao Xun
* Bi Gui
* Cang Ci
* Chang Lin
* Chen Jiao
* Chen Qun
* Cui Lin
* Deng Yang
* Dong Zhao
* Du Ji
* Du Xi
* Fu Jia
* Fu Xuan
* Fu Xun
* Gao Rou
* Gaotang Long
* Guan Ning
* Han Ji
* He Kui
* He Qia
* He Yan
* Hu Zhi
* Hua Xin
* Huan Fan
* Huan Jie
* Jia Chong
* Jia Xu
* Jiang Ji
* Li Dian
* Li Feng
* Li Sheng
* Liang Xi
* Liu Shao
* Liu Ye
* Liu Yi
* Lu Yu
* Pang Yu
* Pei Qian
* Pei Xiu
* Sima Fu
* Sima Zhi
* Su Ze
* Wang Chen
* Wang Guan
* Wang Lang
* Wang Jing
* Wang Su
* Wang Xiang
* Wang Ye
* Wei Ji
* Wei Zhen
* Wu Zhi
* Xiahou He
* Xiahou Hui
* Xiahou Wei
* Xiahou Xuan
* Xin Pi
* Xing Yong
* Xu Miao
* Xu Shu
* Xu Xuan
* Xun Xu
* Xun Yi
* Yang Fu
* Yang Jun
* Yu Huan
* Zhang Hua
* Zhang Ji (Derong)
* Zhang Ji (Jingzhong)
* Zheng Hun
* Zhong Yao
* Zhong Yu

Military officers|

* Cao Hong
* Cao Ren
* Cao Xiu
* Cao Zhang
* Cao Zhen
* Chen Tai
* Deng Ai
* Du Yu
* Fei Yao
* Gongsun Yuan
* Guanqiu Jian
* Guo Huai
* Hao Zhao
* Huang Quan
* Jia Kui
* Liu Jing
* Lü Qian
* Man Chong
* Meng Da
* Niu Jin
* Pang De
* Qian Hong
* Qian Zhao
* Qin Lang
* Sima Wang
* Sima Zhou
* Sun Li
* Tang Zi
* Tian Xu
* Tian Yu
* Wang Chang
* Wang Hun
* Wang Ji
* Wang Jun
* Wang Ling
* Wang Shuang
* Wang Zhong
* Wei Guan
* Wen Ping
* Wen Qin
* Wen Yang
* Wei Guan
* Xiahou Ba
* Xiahou Dun
* Xiahou Mao
* Xiahou Shang
* Xu Chu
* Xu Huang
* Xu Zhi
* Yang Hu
* Yang Qiu
* Yin Li
* Yu Jin
* Yue Jin
* Zang Ba
* Zhang He
* Zhang Liao
* Zhang Te
* Zhao Yan
* Zhong Hui
* Zhou Tai
* Zhu Ling
* Zhuge Dan
* Zhuge Xu

Other notable women|

* Cai Yan
* Cuishi
* Guo Huai
* Pang E
* Wang Yi
* Wang Yuanji
* Xiahou Hui
* Xin Xianying
* Yang Huiyu
* Xiahou Lingnü
* Zhang Chunhua
* Zhang Changpu
* Princess Changshan
* Yang Yan
* Wei Huacun
* Xun Cai
* Xu Yi

Other notable figures|

* Budugen
* Du Kui
* Guan Lu
* Huangfu Mi
* Huchuquan
* Liu Bao
* Kebineng
* Liu Hui
* Ma Jun
* Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
* Wang Bi
* Xun Can
* Pei Xiu
* Zhou Xuan
* Zhu Jianping

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Australia
* Czech Republic
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Korea
* Poland
* Israel

Academics|

* CiNii

People|

* Trove
* DDB

Other|

* IdRef

This biography of a Chinese philosopher is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template