Han Fei Tzu (ca. 280-233 BC) was a Chinese statesman and philosopher and one of the main formulators of Chinese Legalist philosophy.

Elements of Chinese Legalist philosophy can be traced to the 7th century B.C., but it was Han Fei Tzu who developed the precepts of this political philosophy into its definitive form. He emphasized the complete submission of the individual to the state and stressed the importance of law in maintaining state control. His elaborate methodology of statecraft may have influenced the creation of authoritarianism by the Ch'in dynasty.

The main source of information on Han Fei's life is a short biography by the historian Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145-86 B.C.) in his Records of the Historian. Han Fei was a member of the royal family of Han, a small state located in north-central China. During the 5th century Han, along with two other states, had seceded...