When did Tan Sitong live?

Tan Sitong was born in 1865 and died in 1898.

Where was Tan Sitong from?

Tan Sitong was a Chinese philosopher of the Modern era.

What philosophical movements is Tan Sitong associated with?

Tan Sitong was associated with Confucianism and Political Philosophy.

How many quotes are attributed to Tan Sitong?

There are 5 attributed quotations from Tan Sitong in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.

Tan Sitong 1865 – 1898

Tan Sitong (1865 – 1898) was a Chinese philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Confucianism and Political Philosophy.

Tan Sitong was a late-Qing Chinese reformer and philosopher, one of the Six Gentlemen executed after the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform of 1898. In his major work A Study of Benevolence (Renxue), composed in the last years of his short life, he reinterpreted the Confucian virtue of ren as a universal force comparable to the ether of contemporary physics, and argued that breaking the bonds of authoritarian custom between ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, was the highest expression of benevolence. He chose to die rather than flee, hoping that his execution would awaken his countrymen to the necessity of reform.

Key facts

Nationality: Chinese
Era: Modern
Movements: Confucianism, Political Philosophy

Selected quotes

Attributed to Tan Sitong:

“Benevolence pervades the cosmos and joins all things, like the ether of the physicists.”
Attributed to Tan Sitong:

“Each country requires the blood of reformers; without it, no awakening is possible.”
Attributed to Tan Sitong:

“If reform demands a death, let mine be that death.”
Attributed to Tan Sitong:

“The bonds of subject to ruler, of son to father, of wife to husband, are the chains that benevolence demands we break.”
Attributed to Tan Sitong:

“I have not yet found my freedom; perhaps my death will help others find theirs.”

Frequently asked about Tan Sitong

When did Tan Sitong live?: Tan Sitong was born in 1865 and died in 1898.
Where was Tan Sitong from?: Tan Sitong was a Chinese philosopher of the Modern era.
What philosophical movements is Tan Sitong associated with?: Tan Sitong was associated with Confucianism and Political Philosophy.
What was Tan Sitong known for?: Tan Sitong was a late-Qing Chinese reformer and philosopher, one of the Six Gentlemen executed after the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform of 1898.
How many quotes are attributed to Tan Sitong?: There are 5 attributed quotations from Tan Sitong in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.