-578 – -500
Yan Ying (晏婴, c. 578–500 BCE), known honorifically as Yanzi, was a statesman-philosopher of the State of Qi who served as chief minister under three successive rulers during the Spring and Autumn period. Celebrated for his practical wisdom, frugality, and skill in diplomatic remonstrance, his sayings and deeds were compiled in the Yanzi Chunqiu, one of the earliest collections of a thinker's arguments and anecdotes in the Chinese tradition. He is regarded as an exemplar of Confucian virtues applied in governance, though his thought predates and informs later debates in the Confucian school.
Served as chief minister of Qi under Dukes Ling, Zhuang, and Jing, embodying loyal remonstrance as a political virtue
Preserved in the Yanzi Chunqiu, an early compilation of philosophical anecdotes and dialogues on governance and ethics
Advanced arguments for frugality and moral restraint as foundations of stable rule
Engaged in recorded debates on human nature and the relationship between virtue and political order
Influenced later Confucian and Legalist thinkers through his practical philosophy of statecraft