战国时期 / Warring States Period

The Warring States Period is the historical setting for 30.孟子：战国愤青的赤子之心. The episode contrasts it with the [[SpringAndAutumnPeriod|春秋时期]]: older ritual and lineage orders have weakened, interstate competition is harsher, rulers compete for population and talent, and schools of thought become practically useful in a world of policy, war, and mobility.

This page is source-scoped. Its role is to explain why [[Mengzi|孟子 / Mencius]] can be read as both idealistic and realistic: if people, scholars, and merchants can move, then [[MencianBenevolentGovernment|benevolent government]] can attract resources; if rulers chase only advantage, then [[RighteousnessOverProfit|righteousness over profit]] becomes a political critique, not only a moral slogan.

Connections

• 30.孟子：战国愤青的赤子之心 - source episode.
• [[SpringAndAutumnPeriod|春秋时期]] and Spring-Autumn Warfare Ritual - adjacent earlier pre-Qin history branch.
• [[Mengzi|孟子 / Mencius]], [[JixiaAcademy|稷下学宫]], [[Mozi|墨子]], and [[YangZhu|杨朱]] - intellectual actors and settings named by the source.
• [[LiangHuiWang|梁惠王]] and [[QiXuanWang|齐宣王]] - ruler cases.
• 王道 versus 霸道 / Kingly Way Over Hegemony, Mencian Benevolent Government / 孟子仁政, and Mencian Idealism Limits / 孟子理想主义的限度 - political concepts whose stakes depend on the period’s competition.