Abstract
Man's social being decides his social consciousness. The emergence of thought or theory was not accidental but deep in historical root, it is the product that determined by the objective factors of political economy and subjective factors of ideology in the social. Han Fei’s legalist thought rose at the end of the Warring States, he considered that the rule of virtue and the rule of Li can not solve the social contradictions at the troubled times. the rule of virtue and the rule of Li were not suited to turbulent days in which the virtue and Li had been destroyed，and the rule of law is the only way to govern the social. So he summarized the historical experiences of institutional reforms of every kingdom since the Spring and Autumn Periods and the Warring States, inherited and developed Shang Yang's, Shen Bu hai's and Shen Dao's legalist thoughts critically, and formed the combined legalist thought of "law", "strategy" and" power" systematically. The rule of law as the specific historical product , were important in the ancient ideological history of China, has greatly influenced Chinese traditional culture, and it has positive aspect and negative aspect. Although Han Fei’s legalist thought aims to strengthen despotism, are essential different from the modern legalist thought, as a valuable cultural heritage, it still has real value to the rule of law in modern China. So we must appraise Han Fei’s legalist thought accurately, absorb the quintessence and abandon the waste matter in order to make the past serve the present.
Key word: Han Fei ，rule of law ，law ，strategy ，power
