Who is Wang Chang 王昶

Wang Chang,(?-259) A scholar of the Wei State during the Three Kingdoms period, with the courtesy name Wenshu. He was from Jinyang in Taiyuan (present-day Taiyuan, Shanxi). During the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei, he held positions such as Taizi Wenxue (Scholar of the Crown Prince), Zhongshuzi (Gentleman of the Household), Sanqi Shilang (Attendant Gentleman), and Luoyang Diannong (Director of Agriculture in Luoyang). When Emperor Ming ascended the throne, he was promoted to Yanglie Jiangjun (General of Valiant Bravery) and granted the title of Guannei Hou (Marquis within the Pass). Later, he served as Zhengnan Dajiangjun (Grand General Conquering the South) and was further enfeoffed as Jingling Hou (Marquis of Jingling). His posthumous title was Muhou (Marquis Mu).

Throughout his life, he was concerned with state affairs and put forward proposals on state governance. He also excelled in military management and was well-versed in military strategy. In philosophy, he integrated Confucianism with Taoism, proposing a life philosophy for managing a family and cultivating oneself, advocating that "in establishing one's conduct, one should follow the teachings of Confucianism and practice the words of Taoism" (Records of the Three Kingdoms·Biography of Wang Chang). He believed that the necessity of combining Confucianism and Taoism arose from the contradiction between gaining fame and accumulating property on the one hand, and preserving one's family and life on the other. He said, "Managing a family also has its troubles: accumulating wealth without being able to disperse it brings the burden of meanness and stinginess; accumulating wealth while indulging in luxury leads to the crime of arrogance towards superiors. The greater trouble ruins the family, and the lesser one brings disgrace to oneself. These are the two troubles" (see Anthology of Literature and Arts, Volume 23). He asserted that gaining fame and accumulating wealth mainly relied on Confucianism, while preserving one's family and life primarily depended on Taoism.

He stated, "Filial piety, respect, benevolence, and righteousness are the foundation of all conducts. Practicing them establishes the root of one's person. Filial piety and respect bring peace to the clan; benevolence and righteousness earn respect from the villagers. These conducts, cultivated internally, make one's name known externally" (Records of the Three Kingdoms·Biography of Wang Chang). He believed that Confucian filial piety, respect, benevolence, and righteousness would bring fame and fortune, but to retain these gains, one then needed Taoist ideas of contentment, knowing when to stop, and retreat. He said, "Those who know how to advance but not retreat, who know desires but not contentment, thus suffer from hardship and disgrace, and regret and remorse. A saying goes: 'If one is not content, one will lose what one desires.' Therefore, the contentment of being content is always sufficient. Looking at the success and failure of the past, and observing the good and bad fortune of the future, there has never been anyone who, pursuing fame and profit insatiably, can preserve their family, maintain their estate, and forever keep happiness and fortune intact" (ibid.). He advocated the Taoist idea of "valuing softness," requiring submission, tolerance, and weakness, and proposed that "bend to straighten，yield to gain, be weak to be strong" (ibid.), and that "one should not pursue high fame, not seek undue gains, remain calm and uphold oneself, and only focus on the Dao. When having opinions on right and wrong, one should express them through the ancients, without praising or criticizing anyone of the time" (ibid.). He also promoted the Confucian spirit of "seeking within oneself," demanding that when others speak ill of oneself, one should "retreat and reflect on one's own conduct," believing that "to ward off cold, nothing is better than a heavy fur coat; to stop slander, nothing is better than self-cultivation" (ibid.). This Confucian-Taoist integrated life philosophy thus became a contradictory synthesis: it demanded both active advancement to gain fame and fortune and knowing when to stop to avoid excess; both extensive charity to help the masses and calm self-preservation. He further required that "in using wealth, prioritize the nine clans; in giving alms, focus on urgent needs; in social interactions, respect the elderly; in discussions, value refraining from criticism; in official career, uphold loyalty and integrity; in selecting people, emphasize practical principles; in dealing with the world, guard against arrogance and indulgence; in poverty and humble circumstances, be cautious of anxiety; in advancing or retreating, consider appropriateness; in conducting affairs, practice the nine reflections" (ibid.). This philosophy of life was entirely for the narrow purpose of "treasuring one's person, perfecting one's conduct, and honoring one's parents" (ibid.). His biography is in Volume 27 of Records of the Three Kingdoms. He wrote over 20 articles in Treatises on Governance and over 10 articles in Book of Military Strategy, which are lost. Some of his works are compiled in Volume 36 of Complete Prose of the Three Kingdoms.