Xu Gan

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

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

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Xu.

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.

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.