author
Hui Shi
A sharp-minded thinker from ancient China, this Warring States philosopher is remembered for dazzling paradoxes that still spark debate. Though none of his own books survive, his ideas lived on through later classics and through his famous exchanges with Zhuangzi.
1 Audiobook
幽閨記
by Hui Shi
About the author
Hui Shi, also known as Huizi, was a Chinese philosopher of the Warring States period, usually dated to the 4th century BCE. He is commonly linked with the School of Names, a group known for careful argument, language puzzles, and bold reasoning about reality, difference, and change.
Later sources also describe him as a statesman connected with the state of Wei. He became especially famous for the so-called "Ten Paradoxes," short statements that play with size, space, time, and perspective. Because his own writings do not survive, most of what we know about him comes from later works such as the Zhuangzi, where he appears as both a rival and conversation partner whose debates helped shape the story of early Chinese thought.
What makes Hui Shi memorable today is the mix of logic and imagination in his reputation. He stands out as a philosopher who pushed language to its limits, asking how words match the world and how viewpoint can change what seems true.