Xu Gan was a philosopher and poet of the late Han Dynasty

Han Dynasty

The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...

 period of Chinese history

History of China

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...

. He was known in the cohort of the Seven scholars of Jian'an

Seven Scholars of Jian'an

Seven scholars of Jian'an , also translated as the "seven philosophers of Jian'an", or the "seven masters of Jian'an", is composed of seven Chinese intellectuals of the Eastern Han period. The name was coined by Cao Pi. "Jian'an" refers to the 196—220 period during the rulership of the Emperor Xian...

建安七子 (name of the famous essay by Cao Pi

Cao Pi

Cao Pi , formally known as Emperor Wen of Wei, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Born in Qiao County, Pei Commandery , he was the second son of the late Han Dynasty warlord Cao Cao.Cao Pi, like his father, was a poet...

).

He is best known in the West for his discourse on the relationship between the names and actualities, preserved in his treatise Zhonglun, the Balanced Discourses.

Biography

Born in Ju prefecture in Beihai county (today the eastern part of Lechang

Lechang

Lechang is a city in the northern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, bordering Hunan province to the north. It is administratively a county-level city of Shaoguan City.-Administrative division:* Lecheng Jiedao...

, Shandong), Hu Gan from his youth obtaind reputation for good memory and diligent studies. After the start of Dong Zhuo

Dong Zhuo

Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...

's rebellion Xu left his residence in Linzi

Linzi District

The Linzi District is part of Zibo, a prefecture-level city central Shandong province, China.Linzi was the capital of ancient State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of Zhou Dynasty.There are many petro-chemical refineries in this area, some which are located...

 and went into hiding on the Jiaodong peninsula.

Literature

• John Makeham, Name and Actuality in Early Chinese History. State University of New York Press, Albany, 1994.

Translations

• Balanced Discourses: a Bilingual Edition. English translation by John Makeham; Introductions by Dan Shengyuan and John Makeham. Yale University Press, 2002.