Seven scholars of Jian'an (建安七子), also translated as the "seven philosophers of Jian'an", or the "seven masters of Jian'an", is composed of seven Chinese intellectuals of the Eastern Han period. The name was coined by Cao Pi

Cao Pi

Cao Pi , formally known as Emperor Wen of Wei, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Born in Qiao County, Pei Commandery , he was the second son of the late Han Dynasty warlord Cao Cao.Cao Pi, like his father, was a poet...

. "Jian'an" refers to the 196—220 period during the rulership of the Emperor Xian of Han

Emperor Xian of Han

Emperor Xian of Han , personal name Liu Xie, style name Bohe, was the last emperor of the Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...

. Known as the time of unrest preceding the Three Kingdoms

Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...

 era, the period gained popularity in the East Asian culture.

The seven scholars are Wang Can

Wang Can

Wang Can was a politician, scholar and poet during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He contributed greatly to the establishment of laws and standards during the founding days of the Principality of Wei – predecessor to the later Cao Wei kingdom – under Cao Cao...

, Chen Lin, Ruan Yu (阮瑀), Liu Zhen (劉楨), Xu Gan

Xu Gan

Xu Gan was a philosopher and poet of the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was known in the cohort of the Seven scholars of Jian'an 建安七子 ....

, Ying Chang (應瑒), and Kong Rong

Kong Rong

Kong Rong was a politician, scholar, and minor warlord of the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also a 20th generation descendant of Kong Qiu . As he was once the chancellor of Beihai Commandery , he was also known as Kong Beihai. He was defeated by Yuan Tan in 196 and escaped to...

.