Xu Gan

Xu Gan
Philosopher of Han Dynasty
Born	170
Died	217
Names
Traditional Chinese	徐幹
Simplified Chinese	徐干
Pinyin	Xú Gàn
Courtesy name	Weichang (偉長)

Xu Gan (170 - 217) was a philosopher and poet of the late Han Dynasty. He was known in the cohort of the Seven scholars of Jian'an (name of the famous essay by Cao Pi).

He is best known in the West for his discourse on the relationship between the names and actualities, preserved in his treatise Zhonglun, the Balanced Discourses.

Born in Ju prefecture in Beihai county (today the eastern part of Lechang, Shandong), Hu Gan from his youth developed a reputation for good memory and diligent studies. After the start of Dong Zhuo's rebellion Xu left his residence in Linzi and went into hiding on the Jiaodong peninsula.

...
Wikipedia