「知」」與「明」這個概念，在《韓非子》一書所用之關鍵詞中屬最多者。「明」在「法」、「術」、「勢」運用中達至高度「認知」狀態。其用詞諸如「明法」、「明君」、「明賞」、「法分明」、「明賞罰」、「明法術」、「明察」、「人主之不明」、「人主之明」等等。這些「明」是形容「知」的一種認知狀態，因此「明」有與君主必須具備的「知」概念不離寸步的關係。 本文就扣緊《韓非子》「知」與「明」兩項概念繫為一組，並探討《韓非子》「知」概念所蘊含的認知特徵和其在《韓非子》整書中所佔的功能。據以討論《韓非子》「知」概念所涉及的對象和領域、擔任「知」概念之行動主體特色、「知」與「明」的關係等相關議題，依此而論證《韓非子》之所以為帝王之術之哲學意義。

Interestingly, word Zhi (knowledge) and Ming (clarity) was used most in the Hanfeizi. Ming was a highly cognitive-state of a king in his practical process of the Fa (law), Shu (statecraft) or two handles of chastisement and commendation, Shi (power of king). There are some concrete usage like Ming-fa (law as apparentness), Ming-jun (wisdom king), Ming-shang (commendation with apparentness), legal as apparentness, Mng-shangfa (chastisement and commendation with apparentness), Ming Fa-Shu (Law and statecraft with apparentness), Ming-cha (scrutinization), king’s carelessness, king’s carefulness, eta. These usage of Ming expressed a kind of cognitive degree in king’s cognitive activity. So, the concept Ming had an undetachable relation to the concept Zhi (knowledge) that king must have necessarily. In this paper, I will bind the two concepts Zhi and Ming of Hanfeizi as a set, and examine cognitive traits and roles of Zhi in the Hanfeizi. Furthermore, discuss the object and scope of Zhi that Hanfeizi dealt with, subjective traits of Zhi in the acting subject, i.e., king, and will pursue an architecture on relation between concepts Zhi and Ming, thereby demonstrate a philosophical meaning of Hanfeizi as Kings-Learning.