Li Ao (fl. A.D. 798), Chinese philosopher who learned Buddhist dialects and developed a theory of human nature (hsing) and feelings (ch’ing) more sophisticated than that of Han Yü, his teacher. He wrote a famous article, ‘Fu-hsing shu’ (‘Essay on returning to Nature’), which exerted profound influence on Sung-Ming Neo-Confucian philosophers. According to him, there are seven feelings: joy, anger, pity, fear, love, hate, and desire. These feelings tend to obscure one’s nature. Only when the feelings do not operate can one’s nature gain its fulfillment. The sage does possess the feelings, but he remains immovable; hence in a sense he also has never had such feelings. See also HAN Yü, NEO-CONFUCIAN – IS. S.-h.L.