Li Kui (legalist)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.

Li Kui (Chinese: 李悝; pinyin: Lǐ Kuī; Wade–Giles: Li K'uei; 455–395 BC) was a Chinese hydraulic engineer, philosopher, and politician. He served as minister and court advisor to Marquess Wen of Wei (r. 403–387 BC). In 407 BC, he wrote the Canon of Laws. Said to have been a main influence on Shang Yang, it served the basis for the codified laws of the Qin and Han dynasties.

His political agendas, as well as the Book of Law, had a deep influence on later thinkers such as Shang Yang and Han Fei, who would later develop the philosophy of Legalism based on Li Kui's reforms.

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