Xu Gan

Xu Gan
Traditional Chinese	徐幹
Simplified Chinese	徐干
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xú Gàn
Weichang (courtesy name)
Traditional Chinese	偉長
Simplified Chinese	伟长
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wěicháng

In this Chinese name, the family name is Xu.

Xu Gan (Chinese: 徐幹, pinyin Xú Gàn, 171 – March or April 218?), courtesy name Weichang (偉長), was a Chinese philosopher and poet of the late Eastern Han dynasty. He was also 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).

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.

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.

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.