Xu Gan
Xu Gan (Chinese: 徐幹, pinyin Xú Gàn, 171 – March or April 218?), courtesy name Weichang (偉長), was a Chinese philosopher, poet and official of the late Eastern Han dynasty, and one of the "Seven Scholars of Jian'an". He is best known in the West for his discourse on the relationship between the names and actualities, preserved in his treatise Zhonglun (中論), or "Balanced Discourses".
Also recorded as Hsu Kan · Weichang · Wei-ch'ang · Hsu Wei-ch'ang
Xu Gan
- Born
- 170
- Died
- 218
- Nationality
- Eastern Han
- Occupation
- poet · philosopher
- Fields
- philosophy
- Known for
- Zhonglun
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Altname — Weichang (courtesy name) • T2 — 偉長 • S2 — 伟长 • P2 — Wěicháng Xu
Life
Life
Born in Ju County, Beihai Commandery (east of present-day Lechang, Shandong), Xu Gan developed a reputation for good memory and diligent studies as a youth. Around 189, Xu Gan left his residence in Linzi and went into hiding on the Jiaodong peninsula. However, his work's introduction, written from the viewpoint of a reverent disciple, suggests his exile more self-imposed for the sake of Confucianist study. He seems to have been familiar with the "Legalists", but is not that unusual for his time and advocated that reward and punishment should be consistent rather than extreme, fitting alongside his other "Balanced Discourses." It has been suggested that his writing were directed at Cao Cao. After participating in Cao Cao's campaigns, the Records of the Three Kingdoms state that he was appointed magistrate of Shanghai, but did not serve. He did serve as Minister of Works, from 197-208, and literary advisor until 211.
Translations
Translations
• Balanced Discourses: a Bilingual Edition. English translation by John Makeham; Introductions by Dan Shengyuan and John Makeham. Yale University Press, 2002.
Literature
• John Makeham, Name and Actuality in Early Chinese History. State University of New York Press, Albany, 1994.
Licensing
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Xu Gan, revision 1355414692 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Xosé María Díaz CastroAuthor
- Xosé Neira VilasAuthor
- Xosefa XovellanosAuthor
- Xu ChiAuthor
- Xu HuiAuthor
- Xu HunAuthor
- Xu JingchengAuthor
- Xu LingAuthor
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