Han Yü

(second name T’iu-chih; also known as Ch’ang-li). Born A.D. 768; died 824. Chinese philosopher, writer, and public figure.

Han Yü was one of the founders of the “movement for the return to antiquity” in literature, a movement regarded by some researchers as the beginning of the renaissance in Chinese literature. Han Yü occupied various high positions, and he was often in disfavor because of his inflexible judgments. He spoke out against Buddhism and Taoism and condemned superstition. He demanded that the monasteries be destroyed and their holdings expropriated; he advocated the burning of anti-Confucian books and proposed the “great unification” of society on the basis of the old Confucian ideals. He introduced the “ancient style”—a style oriented toward early models of philosophical prose that were simpler in language and freer in form than the prevalent “parallel prose.” Han Yü wrote On the Way, On Human Nature, On Calumny, On Man, and On Spirits; his writings include reports (such as On Buddha’s Bone), essays, biographies, and philosophical lyrics.