The social upheavals and collapse of order during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods created a state of societal "anomie." In response, some shi 士 "intellectuals" chose to become yinzhe 隱者 "hermits", withdrawing from public life. Based on their degree of disengagement—both material and spiritual—from the political and social communities, these yinzhe can be classified into different types. The yinzhe"s spiritual acceptance or rejection of communal value norms constructed a continuous spectrum ranging from the Confucian "hiding while awaiting the proper time" (dai shi er yin 待時而隱) to the Daoist "wandering within the world" (you shi 遊世). This spectrum clearly reveals the path by which the realization of life value progressively deepened from socialization to individualization. Yang Zhu"s individualistic philosophy of life—centered on "valuing oneself" (gui ji 貴己), "treasuring life" (zhong sheng 重生), and "acting for the self" (wei wo 為我)—stands as the most representative expression of hermit thought. This individualism is by no means vulgar egoism or hedonism; rather, it constitutes a response of "goodness" grounded in the Dao: when social value norms prove incapable of realizing the purpose of goodness, the individual assumes the responsibility of safeguarding the integrity of his own life and the authenticity of his innate nature (xing 性). The distinctive individualistic philosophy of life developed by pre-Qin hermits continues to offer profound reference value for contemporary society and the individual.