Posted 2017/7/20
The term “a hundred schools of thought” originally referred to Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism, Mohism, the School of Logicians, and the School of Yin-Yang etc of the Warring States Period. The contention of these schools of thought means various thoughts and ideas were developed and discussed. During the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods, the country was undergoing great social changes and various schools of thought were developed, such as Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism and Mohism among others. A lot of works were written on these schools of thought and lectures were given. Heated debates were carried out between them. That period, historically known as “the Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought”, was the golden age of Chinese philosophy. The phrase “the Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought” is still used today to mean the free argument between people with different ideas in an academic field. In some cases, it also means “to voice one’s opinions freely”.
