ABSTRACTThis paper reviews and compares diverse rhetorical conceptualizations within Chinese rhetorical tradition during the fifth to third century B.C.E. Textual evidence shows that three schools of thoughts, namely Confucianism, Daoism, and Mohism, have contested with and challenged one another on the components and functions of rhetoric. Confucianism is more concerned with the moral character of the speaker while Mohism claims that rhetoric is used for mutual benefit and contains a rational element. Daoism, on the other hand, approaches rhetoric with a transcendental and dialectical outlook. This overview demonstrates the multi-faceted characteristics of ancient Chinese rhetoric.

In early June 2013, a group of rhetoric and composition scholars gathered in Lawrence, Kansas, to take part in a comparative rhetoric seminar, part of the 2013 Rhetoric Society of America Summer In...