The Jianzhuke Shu () was a petition to Ying Zheng, King of Qin, written by

Li Si Li Si (Mandarin: ; BCSeptember or October 208 BC) was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and calligrapher of the Qin dynasty. He served as Chancellor (or Prime Minister) from 246 to 208 BC under two rulers: Qin Shi Huang, the king of the Qin ...

in 243 BC. Written in response to an order to expel all officers serving in the

State of Qin Qin () was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty. Traditionally dated to 897 BC, it took its origin in a reconquest of western lands previously lost to the Rong; its position at the western edge of Chinese civilization permitted e ...

who were not born in Qin, it successfully persuaded Ying Zheng to rescind the expulsion order, and also began Li Si's career as a leading politician in Qin.

Background

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 ...

, it was common practice for learned men whose careers might have been frustrated in their homelands to travel to other countries in search of service and patronage. Li Si himself was such an individual, having been born in the

State of Chu Chu, or Ch'u in Wade–Giles romanization, (, Hanyu Pinyin: Chǔ, Old Chinese: ''*s-r̥aʔ'') was a Zhou dynasty vassal state. Their first ruler was King Wu of Chu in the early 8th century BCE. Chu was located in the south of the Zhou ...

but unable to progress in an official career there. The initial policy of openness to outsiders changed in 244 BC, due to the controversy surrounding the

Zhengguo Canal The Zhengguo Canal, Zhengguoqu or Chengkuo Canal (), named after its designer, Zheng Guo, is a large canal located in Shaanxi province, China. The canal irrigates the Guanzhong plain, north of Xi'an. Together with the Dujiangyan Irrigation Syst ...

; the State of Han had dispatched

Zheng Guo Zheng Guo (fl. third century BCE) was a Chinese hydraulic engineer who lived towards the end of the Warring States period. He is best known for designing the Zhengguo Canal, which was named after him. Life Zheng Guo was from the Han state. I ...

, a skilled engineer, to Qin on the pretext of helping them build an irrigation canal. Subsequently, however, it was discovered that this was really a scheme by Han to weaken Qin by diverting its resources towards canal construction. At the instigation of a clique of officials within the Qin court, suspicion soon became widened to include all guest officers from outside Qin, and Ying Zheng issued an order to expel all foreigners. Li Si, himself a foreigner, was also caught up in the purge; his petition was composed while he was being expelled from Qin. Ying Zheng finally accepted Li Si's suggestion and withdrew the order. Twenty years later, Ying Zheng unified ancient China and became the first

Emperor of China ''Huangdi'' (), translated into English as Emperor, was the superlative title held by monarchs of China who ruled various imperial regimes in Chinese history. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was considered the Son of Heav ...

, thus marking the establishment of the unified

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 dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

External links

Full text of ''Jianzhukeshu'' in Classical Chinese
{{wikisourcelang, zh, 諫逐客書, Jianzhuke Shu Qin (state) Historical events in China 243 BC Legalist texts