Wang Fu-chih (1619–92), Chinese philosopher and innovative Confucian thinker. Wang attacked the Neo-Confucian dualism of li (pattern) and ch’i (ether), arguing that li is the orderly structure of individual ch’i (implements/things and events), which are composed of ch’i (ether). Wang rejected all transcendental ontology and believed society evolves and improves over time. He is touted as a ‘materialist’ by Marxist thinkers in contemporary China, though the term is hardly applicable, as is clear from his criticisms of Shao Yung. Wang attacked Shao’s overly ‘objective’ account of the world, arguing that all such formal descriptions fail because they disregard intuition, our only access to the lively, shen (spiritual) nature of the universe. See also CONFUCIANIS. P.J.I. Wang Pi (A.D. 226–49), Chinese philosopher of the Hsüan hsüeh (Mysterious Learning) School. He is described, along with thinkers like Kuo Hsiang, as a Neo-Taoist. Unlike Kuo, who believed the world to be self-generated, Wang claimed it arose from a mysterious unified state called wu (non-being). But like Kuo, Wang regarded Confucius as the one true sage, arguing that Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu only ‘talked about’ non-being, whereas Confucius embodied it. Wang is important for his development of the notion li (pattern) and his pioneering use of the paired concepts t’i (substance) and yung (function). His commentary on the Tao Te Ching, the oldest known, has had a profound and persistent influence on later Chinese thought. See also NEO — TAOISM , TAOIS. P.J.I.