Wáng Niànsūn 王念孫

 (1744–1832) One of the greatest Qīng philologists, renowned for applying historical phonology and textual criticism to the interpretation of classical Chinese. His Guǎngyǎ shūzhèng became a standard reference for the explanation of early vocabulary and is frequently cited in studies of the Mòjīng. More broadly, Wáng’s philological methods exercised a profound influence on later scholars, including Yú Yuè and Sūn Yíràng, and helped establish the evidential approach to textual interpretation that underpins modern Mohist scholarship.