Jinizi 計倪子

Jinizi 計倪子 "Master Jini", also called Jiranzi 計然子 "Master Jiran" or Ji Yan 計{石+兒=研}, was a book attributed to the thinker Xin Jian 辛銒, style Jini 計倪 or Jiran 計然, who lived during the Spring and Autumn period 春秋 (770-5th cent. BCE) and is, as a philosopher, better known with the name Wenzi 文子. He hailed from Caiqiu 葵丘 (modern Lankao 蘭考, Henan) and was a teacher in the famous Jixia Academy 稷下 in the capital of the regional state of Qi 齊.

The book Jinizi survives as the chapter Jini neijing 計倪內經 "Inner chapter of Jini" in the book Yuejueshu 越絕書, a history of the state of Yue 越. It is composed as a dialogue between Jini and King Goujian 勾踐 (r. 495- 465) of Yue, in which arguments are brought forward to strengthen the government by supporting the livelihood of the people.

Bu jiranzi 補計然子

There is also a book called Bu jiranzi 補計然子, pretending to be a supplement to the ancient text Fanzi Jiran 范子計然, which actually includes several agronomical chapters. It was written in the very late Ming period 明 (1368-1644) by Dong Hance 董漢策 (b. 1484), courtesy name Weiru 帷儒, style Zhiyun 芝筠 or Su'an 蘇庵. The book of just one fascicle was published in 1642 and quotes mainly from ancient historiographical texts like Zuozhuan 左傳, Guoyu 國語 or Wu-Yue chunqiu 吳越春秋. The author wanted to point at the imminent danger of dynastic fall, and exhort his readers to rely on their own.