The ''Canon of Laws'' or ''Classic of Law'' () is a lost legal code that has been attributed to
Li Kui, a
Legalist
Legalist, Inc. is an investment firm that specializes in alternative assets in the private credit industry. Today the firm manages approximately $750 million across three separate strategies: litigation finance, bankruptcy (debtor-in-possession or ...
scholar and minister who lived in the
State of Wei
Wei (; ; Old Chinese: *') was one of the seven major states during the Warring States period of ancient China. It was created from the three-way Partition of Jin, together with Han and Zhao. Its territory lay between the states of Qin and Qi ...
during the
Warring States period
The Warring States period () was an era in History of China#Ancient China, ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded ...
of ancient China (475-220 BCE). This code has traditionally been dated to the early fourth century BCE. Still, scholars now widely consider it to be a forgery from the fifth or sixth-century CE.
According to the traditional account, which first appeared in the monograph on law (''Xingfa Zhi'' 刑法志) of the ''
Book of Jin
The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, with chancellor Fang X ...
'', the ''Canon of Laws'' was the earliest legal canon of ancient China and became the basis for all later legal works. It is said that Legalist reformer
Shang Yang
Shang Yang (; c. 390 – 338 BC), also known as Wei Yang () and originally surnamed Gongsun, was a Chinese jurist, philosopher, and politician.Antonio S. Cua (ed.), 2003, p. 362, ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Philosophy'"The fifth important legali ...
took it to the
the State of Qin where it became the basis of the law of the State of Qin () and later, the law of the
Qin dynasty
The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin (state), ...
.
[A.F.P. Hulsewé, ''Remnants of Han Law'' (Leiden: Brill, 1955), pp. 29.]
Although the original text has been lost, according to later records the ''Canon of Laws'' comprised six chapters:
* Theft and robbery law ()
* Treason law ()
* Prisoner or extent of justice law ( or )
* Law of arrest ()
* Miscellaneous law ()
* Law of possession ()
Notes
Other references
* “History of the Chinese Legal System”, Pu Jian, Central Radio & TV University Press October 2006 /D•209, Chapter four, second section.
{{Jurisprudence
Legal history of China
Zhou dynasty texts
Legalist texts
Wei (state)
Qin (state)
4th century BC in law