Philosopher's prose refers to the prose written by Mencius, Zhuangzi, Xunzi and Han Feizi, also known as "reasoning prose"
A hundred schools of thought contend, and the wind of cultivating scholars prevailed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Zhou's rule has been loosened, and the rulers of various countries, out of the need of change and competition, have made great efforts to attract talents and cultivate scholars. These literary lobbyists, with different backgrounds and different positions, put forward different political opinions from their own interests, lobbied everywhere, argued with each other and wrote books, thus producing a large number of words to argue things. Complex philosophical thoughts and different political opinions need new literary forms to express, and new prose is developing vigorously.
Economic Progress During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the development of agriculture, industry and commerce led to the emergence of metropolises, and people from all walks of life could exchange knowledge with each other, which promoted the spread and prosperity of cultural ideas.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, great changes have taken place in society, economy and politics, and a new situation has emerged in the ideological and cultural fields. In the late Spring and Autumn Period, the ceremony broke down and the masters of literature and history were scattered among the people, forming a class of "scholars". They set up private schools, recruited disciples and taught knowledge. The prosperity of private schools and the increase of scholars are one of the reasons for the prosperity of prose of various schools.
In the Qin dynasty, society began to transform, from a feudal society to a centralized society. The Qin Dynasty pursued the legalist policy politically, and at the same time, in order to eliminate all anti-Qin consciousness, it adopted the policy of cultural autocracy. Carry out burning books to bury Confucianism. It severely restricts the freedom of thought and communication.