History glossary
Legalist
relating to Legalism, especially policies built around law, reward, punishment and centralised state power.
- Category
- Political philosophy
- Region
- China
- Date range
- Warring States period-Qin dynasty
What it means
Legalist describes thinkers, officials, reforms or policies shaped by Legalism. In Qin history, Legalist rule meant public laws, strict penalties, measurable rewards, official supervision and loyalty directed to the ruler rather than to aristocratic houses.
Related terms
Stories using this term
Early China
From Neolithic farming villages to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, Early China built the writing, bronze culture, and political doctrines that gave Chinese civilisation its enduring character.
Qin China and Unification
From the Warring States to the rise of the Han, Qin unification ended centuries of interstate rivalry and created the centralised imperial model that shaped Chinese history for more than two thousand years.
