Wang Ch’ung (A.D. 27–100?), Chinese philosopher, commonly regarded as the most independent-minded thinker in the Later Han period (25–220). He wrote the Lun-heng (‘Balanced Inquiries’). Since Tung Chung-shu, Confucian doctrine of the unity of man and nature had degenerated into one of mutual influence, with talk of strange phenomena and calamities abounding. Wang Ch’ung cast serious doubts on such superstitions. He even dared to challenge the authority of Confucius and Mencius. His outlook was naturalistic. According to him, things in the world are produced by the interaction of material forces (ch’i). He rejected the teleological point of view and was fatalistic. See also TUNG CHUNG -SH. S.-h.L.