Yang Xiong

Yang Xiong (53 BCE – 18 CE), courtesy name Ziyun, was a Chinese philosopher, poet, linguist, and politician of the Western Han dynasty, hailing from the Shu region (modern Sichuan province). He is celebrated for his philosophical writings and his compositions in the *fu* poetry style. His most notable philosophical work is the *Fayan*, which emulates the *Analects* and critiques *fu* writers for prioritizing elaborate language over essential moral concerns. Yang also authored the *Taixuanjing*, a divination text related to the *I Ching*, and *Fangyan*, a significant dictionary of regional dialects. Unlike Mencius or Xunzi, Yang posited that human nature is neither inherently good nor bad but a blend of both. He was an associate of Huan Tan, who referred to him as the 'Confucius from the western parts'. Yang also voiced concerns about the verbosity of *fu* poetry and attempted to steer the genre back towards 'suasive admonition', a purpose he attributed to early *fu* works, though his subtle critiques of imperial extravagance were largely ignored.