section_path: Chinese/Qin to pre-Song dynasties
section_name: Qin to pre-Song dynasties
paragraph_text: Qin to pre-Song dynasties
  
  The next period in Chinese philosophy began with the establishment of the Qin dynasty in 221 BCE and lasted until the rise of the Song dynasty in 960 CE. This period was influenced by Xuanxue philosophy, legalist philosophy, and the spread of Buddhism. Xuanxue, also known as Neo-Daoism, sought to synthesize Confucianism and Daoism while developing a metaphysical framework for these schools of thought. It posited that the Dao is the root of ultimate reality, leading to debates about whether this root should be understood as being or non-being. Philosophers such as He Yan (c. 195–249 CE) and Wang Bi (226–249 CE) argued that the Dao is a formless non-being that acts as the source of all things and phenomena. This view was contested by Pei Wei (267–300 CE), who claimed that non-being could not give rise to being; instead, he argued that being gives rise to itself.
  
  In the realm of ethics and politics, the school of Legalism became particularly influential. Legalists rejected the Mohist idea that politics should aim to promote general welfare. Instead, they argued that statecraft is about wielding power and establishing order. They also dismissed the Confucian emphasis on virtues and moral conduct as the foundation of a harmonious society. In contrast, Legalists believed that the best way to achieve order was through the establishment of strict laws and the enforcement of punishments for those who violated them.
  
  Buddhism, which arrived in China from India in the 1st century CE, initially focused on the translation of original Sanskrit texts into Chinese. Over time, however, new and distinctive forms of Chinese Buddhism emerged. For instance, Tiantai Buddhism, founded in the 6th century CE, introduced the doctrine of the Threefold Truth, which sought to reconcile two opposing views. The first truth, conventional realism, affirms the existence of ordinary things. The second truth posits that all phenomena are illusory or empty. The third truth attempts to reconcile these positions by claiming that the mundane world is both real and empty at the same time. This period also witnessed the rise of Chan Buddhism, which later gave rise to Zen Buddhism in Japan. In epistemology, Chan Buddhists advocated for a form of immediate acquaintance with reality, asserting that it transcends the distortions of linguistic distinctions and leads to direct knowledge of ultimate reality.