PHILOSOPHER

Zhiyi

538 - 597

Photo of Zhiyi

Icon of person Zhiyi

Zhiyi (Chinese: 智顗; pinyin: Zhìyǐ; Wade–Giles: Chih-i; Japanese pronunciation: Chigi; Korean: 지의; 538–597 CE) also called Dashi Tiantai (天台大師) and Zhizhe (智者, "Wise One"), was a Chinese Buddhist monk, philosopher, meditation teacher, and exegete. He is considered to be the founder of the Tiantai Buddhist tradition, as well as its fourth patriarch. Śramaṇa Zhiyi is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of East Asian Buddhist thought and practice. As the first major Chinese Buddhist thinker to construct a comprehensive religious system based primarily on Chinese interpretations, Zhiyi played a crucial role in synthesizing various strands of Mahayana Buddhism into a unique coherent framework. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Zhiyi has received more than 192,783 page views. His biography is available in 28 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 24 in 2019). Zhiyi is the 463rd most popular philosopher (up from 475th in 2019), the 343rd most popular biography from China (up from 345th in 2019) and the 19th most popular Chinese Philosopher.

Memorability Metrics

  • 190k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 65.87

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 28

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.02

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.50

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among PHILOSOPHERS

Among philosophers, Zhiyi ranks 463 out of 1,267Before him are Philodemus, Martha Nussbaum, Priscian, Victor Cousin, Vittorino da Feltre, and Michel de Certeau. After him are Ivan Ilyin, Daniel Dennett, Vincent of Beauvais, George Pachymeres, Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, and Jean-Luc Nancy.

Most Popular Philosophers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 538, Zhiyi ranks 2Before him is Gregory of Tours. After him is Emperor Bidatsu. Among people deceased in 597, Zhiyi ranks 2Before him is Columba. After him are Fredegund, Simeon Stylites the Younger, and Ceol of Wessex.

Others Born in 538

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Others Deceased in 597

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In China

Among people born in China, Zhiyi ranks 343 out of 1,610Before him are Yelü Chucai (1189), Wei Zhongxian (1568), Yu Jin (200), Qian Xuesen (1911), Meng Huo (101), and Duan Qirui (1865). After him are Marquis of Haihun (-92), Huo Qubing (-140), Ren Zhengfei (1944), Qi Jiguang (1527), Ma Dai (183), and Khutughtu Khan Kusala (1300).

Among PHILOSOPHERS In China

Among philosophers born in China, Zhiyi ranks 19Before him are Guan Zhong (-720), Han Yu (768), Ban Zhao (45), Dong Zhongshu (-179), Ge Hong (284), and Huiyuan (334). After him are Zhang Daoling (34), Linji Yixuan (850), Shen Buhai (-385), Zhou Dunyi (1017), Liu Bowen (1311), and Hu Shih (1891).