In the Zhou Dynasty, emperors, princes, and feudal lords all had their military experts. The backbone of the army at that time consisted of hereditary warriors. With the disintegration of the feudal system in the late Zhou Dynasty, these samurai experts lost their titles and were scattered around the world, serving whoever hired them to make a living. Such people are called "rangers", and the "Historical Records" says that they "must be faithful in what they say, must be fruitful in their deeds, must be sincere in their promises, do not love their bodies, and go to the plight of scholars" ("Biography of Rangers"). These are their work ethic. Most of Mohism is the exercise of this kind of morality. In Chinese history, both Confucianism and chivalry originated from experts attached to the aristocratic "family", and they themselves were members of the upper class. Later, Confucians were still mostly born in the upper or middle class; while Xia were not, they were more born in the lower class. In ancient times, social activities such as ritual and music were completely limited to the nobility; therefore, from the point of view of the commoners, ritual music and the like were luxury goods with no practical value. It is from this point of view that Mozi and Mohism criticize the traditional system and its defenders, Confucius and Confucianism. This critique, combined with the development and defense of their own class's professional ethics, constitutes the core of Mohist philosophy.

In the Zhou Dynasty, emperors, princes, and feudal lords all had their military experts. The backbone of the army at that time consisted of hereditary warriors. With the disintegration of the feudal system in the late Zhou Dynasty, these samurai experts lost their titles and were scattered around the world, serving whoever hired them to make a living. Such people are called "rangers", and the "Historical Records" says that they "must be faithful in what they say, must be fruitful in their deeds, must be sincere in their promises, do not love their bodies, and go to the plight of scholars" ("Biography of Rangers"). These are their work ethic. Most of Mohism is the exercise of this kind of morality. In Chinese history, both Confucianism and chivalry originated from experts attached to the aristocratic "family", and they themselves were members of the upper class. Later, Confucians were still mostly born in the upper or middle class; while Xia were not, they were more born in the lower class. In ancient times, social activities such as ritual and music were completely limited to the nobility; therefore, from the point of view of the commoners, ritual music and the like were luxury goods with no practical value. It is from this point of view that Mozi and Mohism criticize the traditional system and its defenders, Confucius and Confucianism. This critique, combined with the development and defense of their own class's professional ethics, constitutes the core of Mohist philosophy.