According to legend, Huai Nan Zi was written by Liu An, the king of Huai Nan in the Western Han Dynasty, hence its name. On the basis of inheriting the pre-Qin Taoist thought, this book integrates the essence of a hundred schools of thought and plays an irreplaceable role in the study of Qin and Han cultures in later generations.
Liu An's father, Chang Lu, was the illegitimate son of Emperor Gaozu, and was named King of Huainan. As the eldest son, Liu An inherited his father's title, so he was also called the King of Huainan. Liu An wrote Huai Nan Zi to oppose the political reform he promoted.
The main experience of the author of Huai Nan Zi
Liu Anchu was named Hou of Fuling, and in the sixteenth year of Emperor Wendi (before 164), he was named King of Huainan. Good books and drums attract thousands of people to write internal books (Huainanzi) with 265,438+0 volumes, and foreign books are very popular. There are also eight volumes of novella, which are about the ability of the immortal Huang Bai, with more than 200 thousand words. The author of Biography of Li Sao, dedicated to Emperor Wu. Then he committed suicide because of rebellion.
Philosophically, Liu An took the Taoist view of natural heaven as the center, and integrated pre-Qin Taoism, Buddhism and Yin and Yang. It is believed that everything in the world is produced by Tao. Politically, it advocates "governing by doing nothing", but it gives a new explanation of "doing nothing" and advocates becoming ancient.