This article aims to elucidate some significant sapects in the sevelopment of the Warring ststes'political thought by means of analyzing the concept of "Zhong" (loyalty) and various criticisms against it, which have been proposed by thinkers, e.g.,Daoists,Jixia Masters, and the author(s) of the Hanfeizi,during the mid-late Warring States period. Originally, the concept of zhong has been regarded as one of those highest values among those political ideas in the mind of the early Warring States' Con-fucians and Mohists. In constrast, the mid-late Warring States thinkers have presumed that the idea of zhong was not imperative for statecrafts; it can even harm them. They also advanced their discussion to urge that a state cannot rely on a few prominent "loyal" statesmen such as Bi GAN, Shang Yang, Wu Qi, etc,but has to make efforts to obtain the power of the people who have been motivated not by personal loyalty toward their ruler,but profit and duty that were to be zhong has drastically changed. The Hanfeizi succeeded in this aspect in its concept of zhong, and considered that, whether minsters and officials become loyal to their lord or not would be completely dependent on how the lord allocate profits and duty to them. However the Hanfeizi, on the other hand, did not deny the value of those prominent loyal ministers such as Shang Yang and Wu Qi. Here there can been seen a inconsisitency and predicament in the Hanfeizi's political philosophy on how to maintain the adequate relationship between the ruler and monisters.

zhong (loyalty), zhongxin (loyalty and trusttworthiness), the Zhuangzi, the Hanfeizi, the Jixia masters