The Later Han 後漢 writer Wang Chong (27- 97 AD) is very famous by his book Lunheng, a large critical book that refuses superstition and impossible statements among the philosophers and historians. He even criticizes Confucius 孔子, but not the Confucian state system of his time. His own thought is shown in the many metaphysical chapters. Wang Chong is deeply influenced by the philosophy of Correlative Thingking of his time, the change of the Five Elements 五行 and of Yin and Yang 陰陽 are basic for the constitution of universe, Heaven and Earth. A philosophy that he adopted Daoism is the principle of spontaneity that is inherent in all natural things, there is no intentional creation in nature. For him, fate is something natural that cannot be influenced by personal virtue, bad and good people are likewise favoured or punished by fate. Man is not good or bad by nature, his character is determined by fluids that were given him spontaneously by Heaven during his embryonic part of life.

２３．雷虛
呂后斷戚夫人手，去其眼，置於廁中，以為人豕．呼人示之，人皆傷心．惠帝見之，疾臥不起．呂后故為，天不罰也；人誤不知，天輒殺之．不能原誤，失(反)而責(貰)故，天治悖也．人傷，天意悲矣．夫悲戚夫人，則怨呂后．案呂后之崩，未必遇雷也．
On Thunder and Lightning
Empress dowager Lü cut off Lady Qi's hands, tore out her eyes, and placed her in a privy as a human swine. Then she called people, and showed them her victim. All felt sick at heart. When emperor Hui the Benevolent (r. 194-188 BC) saw her, he fell sick, and did not rise again. Empress dowager Lü acted on purpose, but Heaven did not punish her. If on the other hand Heaven strikes people dead for a mere inadvertence without mercy or regard for the faults, its government is tyrannical... Man being hurt, Heaven must feel pity too. Commiserating Lady Qi, it mast hate empress dowager Lü. Notwithstanding, when empress Lü died, she was not struck by a thunderbolt.

２８．問孔
孔子曰：「鳳鳥不至，河不出圖，吾已矣夫！」問曰：鳳鳥河圖，審何據始起？始起之時，鳥圖未至．如據太平，太平之帝，未必常致鳳鳥與河圖也．五帝三王，皆致太平，案其瑞應，不皆鳳皇為必然之瑞．或曰：「孔子不自傷不得王也，傷時無明王，故己不用也．」夫致瑞應，何以致之？任賢使能，治定功成．治定功成，則瑞應至矣．瑞應至後，亦不須孔子．孔子所望，何其末也？不思其本，而望其末(也)；不相其主，而名其物．治有未定，物有不至，以至而效明王，必失之矣．孝文皇帝可謂明矣，案其本紀，不見鳳鳥與河圖．使孔子在孝文之世，猶曰「吾已矣夫」．
Criticisms on Confucius
Confucius said: "The phoenix does not come; the River sends forth no Plan (the hexagrams on the back of a fish or a turtle):-it is all over with me." ... My question is: Which after all the necessary conditions preceding the appearance of the phoenix and the Plan of the River, which though fulfilled, did not bring about their arrival? If it be perfect peace, it may be urged that not all the emperors, under whose reign perfect peace prevailed, attracted the phoenix or the Plan of the River. The Five Emperors and the Three Rulers all brought about perfect peace, but comparing their omens, we find that they had not all the phoenix as an indispensable attribute... Somebody might object that Confucius did not sorrow, because he was not appointed emperor,... but without a wise ruler Confucius had no chance of finding employment... How are these auguries called forth? By appointing wise and able men the government is set right, and great success obtained. Then the omens appear. After they have made their appearance, there is no further need for a Confucius. Why has Confucius only the end in view? He does not think of the first steps, and solely sees the end, does not assist a king as minister, but speaks of those portents... To conclude their arrival that there must be a wise ruler, would also be a mistake. Emperor Xiao Wen the Cultured (r. 179-157 BC) deserved the name of a wise ruler, yet in his annals we find nothing about a phoenix or the Plan of the River. Had Confucius lived under emperor Xiao Wen he would likewise have complained: "It is all over with me."

５４．自然
天地合氣，萬物自生，猶夫婦合氣，子自生矣．萬物之生，含血之類，知飢知寒．見五穀可食，取而食之；見絲麻可衣，取而衣 之．或說以為天生五穀以食人，生絲麻以衣人．此謂天為人作農夫桑女之徒也，不合自然，故其義疑，未可從也．
Spontaneity
By the fusion of the fluids of Heaven and Earth all things of the world are produced spontaneously, just as by the mixture of the fluids of husband and wife children are born spontanteously. Among the things thus produced, creatures with blood in their veins are sensitive of hunger and cold. Seeing that grain can be eaten, they use it as food, and discovering that silk and hemp can be worn, they take it as raiment. Some people are of opinion that Heaven produces grain for the purpose of feeding mankind, and silk and hemp to cloth them. That would be tantamount to making Heaven the farmer of man or his mulberry girl (feeding the silkworms), it would not be in accordance with spontaneity, therefore this opinion is very questionable and unacceptable...
觀鳥獸之毛羽，毛羽之采色，通(遏)可為乎？鳥獸未能盡實．春觀萬物之生，秋觀其成，天地為之乎？物自然也？如謂天地為之，為之宜用手，天地安得萬萬千千手，並為萬萬千千物乎？諸物在天地之間也，猶子在母腹中也．母懷子氣，十月而生，鼻口耳目，髮膚毛理，血xx脂腴，骨節爪齒，自然成腹中乎？母為之也？
Let us look at the hair and feathers of beasts and birds, and their various colours. Can they all have been made? If so, beasts and birds would never be quite finished. In spring we see the plants growing, and in autumn we see them full-grown. Can Heaven and Earth have done this, or do things grow spontaneously? If we may say that Heaven and Earth have done it, they must have used hands for the purpose. Do Heaven and Earth possess many thousand or many ten thousand hands to produce thousands and ten thousands of beings at the same time? The things between Heaven and Earth are like a child in his mother's womb. After ten months pregnancy the mother gives birth to the child. Are his nose, his mouth, his ears, his hair, his eyes, his skin with down, the arteries, the fat, the bones, the joints, the nails and the teeth grown of themselves in the womb, or has the mother made them?

Translated by Alfred Forke