Eastern Shuo 丨 Xunzi's concept of justice

Xunzi's Concept of Justice

Oriental Shuo

Executive Summary

In Xunzi's view, the unevenness of human morality and ability is the premise and starting point of his social theory, and the ideal society is also a poor society. This theory of inequality is different from the modern social concept of fairness and justice, but it can also reflect justice. According to Xunzi, the appropriate way to maintain the unity of social justice is to face up to the fact that there is a difference in inequality, and then formulate a standard for the unity of justice, so that the inferior class can get the resources of its difference. The difference in people's class is not fixed, and the way to rise is to improve their own morality and talents. Human desire provides an impetus for people to change their social status in a heterogeneous society, coupled with political indoctrination, reward and punishment, and other measures, so as to build a "supremely peaceful" society of mass living and oneness.

I. Introduction

Justice is an important principle on which any social order depends for its maintenance and effective functioning. If there is no justice in a society, it will inevitably lead to chaos and it will be difficult to be "at peace." Although Xunzi advocates inferior order, justice is rather an important principle contained in this inferior order society, and this article will mainly discuss Xunzi's views on the issue of justice.

Looking through the book of Xunzi, there are about four views of the word "justice" alone, which are the "King's Way": "The righteous man, the acne of all"; "Righteous Name": "Noble and just and despicable"; The "Orthodox Treatise" section: "If you are just on the top, then you will be straight down" and the "Endowment" section: "Just and selfless."

That is, in terms of the meaning of the word "justice" mentioned in the above four articles, they mostly focus on the meaning of personal conduct and virtue, as stated in the "King's Way", which means a righteous man, and the group regards it as a swollen boil, and will want to get rid of it quickly; What is said in "Correct Names" means that in the process of discernment, when advocating justice and despising vulgar and rude arguments; According to the "Orthodox Treatise", it means that the monarch is impartial and selfless, and the subjects are frank and straightforward; What is said in the "Endowment" means that integrity is the selflessness of the public.

"Justice" as an individual's character or virtue and righteousness undoubtedly has an important significance in Xunzi's ethical thinking, and it also deserves our independent analysis, and the "justice" in this sense is mostly connected with the word "straight" that Xunzi said, such as yun: "is right and wrong is not straight" ("Self-cultivation") "It is easy to distinguish between righteousness, easy to be willing to be ashamed, easy to be straight" ("Theory of Righteousness") "There is a dare to straighten out one's body in the world" ("Sexual Evil") and "Evil and Integrity in The Week" ("Chengxiang") and so on. But this impartiality, which focuses on the meaning of the subjective character or virtue of the individual, is not the main content of this article, but rather the justice that this article seeks to discuss as the meaning of the principles and principles of distribution in the structure of political order or social organization. From this, we can also see that in addition to the above-mentioned direct words of "justice," there are still many "just" words in the book "Xunzi", such as the cloud: "Those who are fair, the balance of office is also." ("The Kingship") "The one who explores and throws hooks, so he is a public one." ("The Way of the King") "The Three Dukes of the Heavenly Son, the Princes and the Princes, the Doctors are good at officials, the scholars are guaranteed, and they are not lawless and fair: it is the same as banzhi." (The Way of the King) "Justice is reached and private doors are blocked, and justice is clear and private affairs are settled." (The Way of the King) "Does not sympathize with justice and righteousness" ("The Way of the Subject"), "Those who can be compatible with the righteousness of the husband and the righteous are also the way to overcome others." Xunzi's statements are more closely related to the meaning of justice we want to discuss. There is no doubt that the discussion of Xunzi's justice issue is not only related to justice when it comes to the words "justice", "justice", "fairness", etc., for example, the principle of "Lu must be called and used" and "conforming to the analogy" does not have the word "gong", but it obviously involves the specific content of justice more directly.

2. Determination of concepts

Before truly discussing Xunzi's concept of justice, it is necessary to first have a generally clear definition of the word "justice" in concept, and the reasons for this are mainly two aspects, one is that the word "justice" is often similar to the words fairness, justice, and equality in terms of meaning, so scholars often make a unified understanding of it when discussing it, but this understanding is often confused in the meaning of words; Second, as mentioned earlier, "justice" can be used as an understanding of one's subjective virtues as well as the understanding of the principles or principles of social organization; although it is the same as justice, there are obvious differences in meaning and bias. If scholars want to discuss Xunzi's theory of justice, if its focus is on the arrangement of the socio-political system, then it is necessary to distinguish between "justice" as an ethical or virtuous righteousness and "justice" as the principle or principle of the political system. Scholars may cite the "Confucian Effect" section "Unlearned, unjust, rich and profitable, and the layman is also", or quote the "Righteous Name" section "Righteous Profit is said to be a thing, and justice is said to be a deed" to prove the meaning of justice of its institutional righteousness, but the "justice" mentioned in the "Confucian Effect" article originally said in the distinction between personality and other aspects, talking about justice in the sense of virtue; The "righteousness" mentioned in the "Correct Name" section is to define what is meant by "deeds", in which "righteousness" is used as a verb to refer to the direction of the will, and "deeds" is also used as a moral solution. If this is the case, if the justice mentioned by Xun Zi is equated with justice in the sense of institutional arrangement or political philosophy, it may be expected to be a sense of literal righteousness.

In addition, from the etymology of the Chinese, the Shuowen refers to the gong "equally divided, from the eight from the three." Eight Yu back also. "Eight" means the opposite, and "厶" is the original word for "private", which means that the back is public. The "Han Feizi Wuyin" (汉非子五蠹) refers to "the public who betrays the three of them, or that divides the three of them to be just with people." "Selflessness or impartiality is public, and its meaning is similar to that of the Western word for "impartial." And according to the Sayings: "Positive: Yes, also, from the end, to the end." All that is right is from the right. "Positive" means that the behavior conforms to the law, is not biased, and the so-called oneness is stopped." "Justice" is a compound word in Chinese, indicating fairness and integrity and not being selfish, and it can indeed have both ethical and political meanings.

Of course, if the question of justice is a philosophical concept, its meaning is naturally not something that can be done according to the kung fu of interpreting words. The "justice" discussed in this article focuses on the meaning of principles as a principle in the system of socio-political organization, or more directly, its relevance to the meaning of the distribution of one's benefits in a particular social system. Western scholars often have the phrase "render each one his due or given to every man his due," which can be seen as the most classical definition of justice. McIntyre argues, "Justice is the duty that everyone, including the giver himself, deserves." The Blackville Encyclopedia of Political Science, on the other hand, sees justice as "a requirement that every human being's social status and material reward be commensurate with their merits as much as possible." At the same time, "items should be allocated according to each person's different needs." As a result, the words justice and fairness, justice, equality, etc., often overlap in content, and sometimes even are quite difficult to distinguish. Of course, there are still certain differences between them, and fairness means that it is reasonable to act according to the law and is not one-sided; Equality focuses on a relationship between people and their shared social rights and obligations; Justice (derived from the Latin justitia, evolved from the Latin word "jus") as a principle of justice and integrity can be either an individual's subjective attitude or an objective institutional arrangement, containing multiple meanings such as justice, fairness, integrity, law, and rights.

The meaning of "justice" that we are discussing here is closer to justice in terms of its principle of distribution as a distribution of individuals in a system of social organization, and is related to equality and fairness, but has a certain difference. We see that in Spanish, both the words "justice" and "justice" can be expressed as "justice." According to Rawls, justice is the first virtue of society and the first cornerstone of social development. Rawls boiled down the theme of the basic structure of society to justice, arguing that the main problem to be solved by the problem of justice is the distribution of basic rights and obligations by the social system and the determination of the distribution of benefits arising from social cooperation. Xunzi's understanding of justice discussed in this article is closer to Rawls's understanding of the meaning of justice, but it is different from the traditional Confucian justice that we usually understand as a preference for virtue and righteousness.

Why is justice necessary?

As has been said, justice is an important principle and cornerstone for maintaining social stability and harmony. As far as Xunzi is concerned, we have to ask, in what sense was the issue of justice introduced into Xunzi's discourse? But to understand this question, we must also ask: What is the theoretical premise and starting point of Xunzi's exposition on the issue of justice? In what sense does a society characterized by a poor order embody fairness and justice?

We already know that the ideal society in Xunzi's mind is, according to the "Sexual Evil" chapter, that is, the society of "righteous and peaceful governance", and "righteous and peaceful governance" is biased towards social and political order; If spoken from the realm of social life, this ideal society can also be expressed as "group living and one" ("Liturgy"), and there is no difference in essence between the two statements. According to Xunzi, whether it is "righteous and peaceful rule" or "group living and oneness", as far as it is a well-ordered society, it must contain and embody the principle of justice, because without justice, society cannot be harmonious and order cannot be established. But this orderly society was built on the basis of etiquette, in other words, Xunzi's principle of justice was expressed through the concrete embodiment of etiquette. Therefore, the discussion of the question of "why justice is necessary" is closely linked to the discussion of the "root causes of etiquette".

However, as many relevant research institutes have pointed out, Xunzi's theoretical premise and starting point for the establishment of a "righteous and peaceful rule" society is that "there are many desires and few things." According to Xun Zi himself, "We are born with desires" ("Treatise on Etiquette"), and desire is "heavenly" ("Sexual Evil"), so Yun "desire is not to be obtained, and what is received by heaven is also." Desire is innate, and everyone has it, "Mortals have the same thing: hunger and desire to eat, cold and desire to warm, labor and desire to rest, good and evil, is born of man, is the one who does not wait, is the same as Yu Jie. Discerning white and black beauty and evil, distinguishing between voices in the ears, distinguishing sour, salty, sweet, and bitter in the mouth, distinguishing the fragrance and fishiness in the nose, distinguishing between cold and summer diseases in the bones and skin, is the place where people are born and have, is the one who does not wait, and is the same as the place where Yu Jie is. Xun Zi youyun: "Lady's affection, the desire for the eyes, the ears for the sound, the taste of the mouth, the smell of the nose, and the desire for the heart." -- These five-fold people will inevitably be the same as human feelings. ("Wang Ba") And in XunZi's view, this desire that everyone has has the characteristic of insatiability, "the love of man, the desire for food, the desire for clothing, the desire for embroidery, the desire for public opinion, and the desire for the wealth of the husband's surplus; However, poor years do not know the inadequacy, is the love of people also. Xun Zi here said that "human affection" is what he calls "human desire"; Moreover, the so-called "not knowing enough" means "not being satisfied". But the object corresponding to the infinite desire—whether as a material object or as a social object—is scarce and limited, as such, "From the desires of man, there is no room for things, and things cannot be supported." ("Glory and Disgrace"), the result of which will inevitably lead to "strife and poverty", so "the holy kings of the ancients regard human nature as evil, as dangerous and unhealthy, and as rebellious and not ruled, but by virtue of etiquette and righteousness, by regulating people's emotional nature, by disturbing people's emotional nature and leading it, all of which are always out of governance, and are in harmony with the Tao." (Sexual Evil)

It can be said that in the pre-Qin Confucianism, Xunzi was the first to consciously and systematically establish the theory of the origin of the social state, and the theoretical premise of this doctrine is the contradiction between "desire" and "matter". In Xun Zi's view, the solution to this contradiction should follow the law of etiquette formulated by the Holy King, so the Treatise on Etiquette is written: "Where does the ritual originate?" A: Born with desires, and if you can't want them, you can't ask for nothing. If there is no measurement boundary, it cannot be indisputable; If there is chaos, chaos is poverty. The first kings were evil and chaotic, so they made rituals and righteousness divided, so as to feed the desires of men and give people what they wanted. Let desire not be exhausted by things, and things will not yield to desire. The two are held together and long, which is the origin of etiquette. Here the "place of rites" is inherently the origin of the rites, but if we look at the tension and contradiction between "desire" and "things", it is better to say that this is the root of the rites; When we talk about the root cause of the ritual, we understand the meaning of "the cause of the ritual", and our focus is not on how the ritual was created through the specific process of the Holy King, but on why the ritual is necessary and why it is necessary. If so, then we understand the meaning of the above-mentioned Treatise on Etiquette, and if we combine the "Rich Country" chapter with the phrase "desire is too much and what is scarce," its semantic meaning will be more clear. On the one hand, this understanding closely links the question of why etiquette is necessary with etiquette as a means of ensuring the survival and development of mankind itself; if there is no courtesy, there are so-called "competition for life," "cruel thief life," and "adulterous birth," and even worse, there are the results of "the strong harm the weak and take it away, the multitude is violent and widowed, and the world is in chaos and dies of each other, and it is not waiting for the end" ("Sexual Evil"); On the other hand, since the root effect of the ritual lies in "making desire not be exhausted by things, and things must not yield to desires, and the two are held together for a long time", that is, the first meaning of the "measurement boundary" that Xunzi wants to establish, when it is effective to establish a harmonious and balanced relationship between the goods he has distributed and his own desires, neither to remove (ignore or deprive) people's desires because of the limited number of goods, nor to disregard the rational distribution of limited goods because of the satisfaction of human desires. Therefore, as far as the relationship between "desire" and "things" is concerned, the role of ritual is first and foremost to establish the "measurement boundary", which is the meaning of Xunzi's justice theory, or the theory of justice is introduced into Xunzi's domain in this sense. Undoubtedly, the meaning of "measurement demarcation" is very broad, according to Liang Qichao, "Xunzi's so-called measurement demarcation: (i) nobility, (ii) rich and poor (as stated in the "Royal System" section), (iii) long and young, (iv) knowing foolishness, (v) can not, thinking that the age of human identity, the material is uneven, each should be in its disparity with the material enjoyment, etc., is called 'each has its own suitability', is the predicate, and this righteousness is interpreted as a system of recognized coexistence, which is a predicate. But Liang Qichao also said that Xunzi "the so-called 'desire does not have to be poor, things do not have to succumb to desire' also, his exclusive distribution of the problem of livelihood, is the same as Mencius, and the discussion is more practical and careful than Mencius."

It needs to be emphasized that in terms of the distribution relationship between "desire" and "things", the "measurement boundary" does not refer to the averaging of "things", but to the establishment of "degrees". This Xunzi is one of the important differences that distinguish it from Mozi.

The establishment of the so-called "degree" is the establishment of the "deserved" in each person's distribution. According to Xunzi, a person really gets the "deserved" in his distribution, that is, the realization of justice.

Here again the meaning of "division". As scholars have pointed out, the "fèn" has a particularly important significance in Xunzi thought. "Division" is a kind of role of etiquette, but its function is to stop chaos and stop disputes, and to govern the way, so Xunzi believes: "Those who have no division, the great harm of man; Those who have a share, the nature of the world is also profitable. ("The Rich Country") "If there is a division of the husband, the world will be allowed to rule; If there is no division, then one wife and one concubine are chaotic. According to scholars, in the book Xunzi, "the word 'points' appears about 113 times, encompassing almost all the problem areas and distributed at different levels, a phenomenon itself that was only seen in pre-Qin Confucianism." Mr. Chen Daqi believes: "The divisions mentioned by Xunzi include the distinction of morality, the distinction of social status, the distinction of talents, the division of labor in society, the division of duties in politics, and even the classification of natural phenomena. In short, there are differences and differences, that is, there are separate functions in between, so its connotation is wide and can be described as all-encompassing. Undoubtedly, here we are not going to make a detailed interpretation and analysis of the meaning of "division" as Xun Zi said, but it is true that an important feature of Xun Zi's "point" seems to be in many scenes in terms of the situation of its "natural state", such as Xun Ziyun:

Husbands are the sons of heaven, rich in the world, and are the same desires of human feelings; However, from the desires of man, he cannot tolerate it, and things cannot be supported. Therefore, the case of the first king was divided into ceremonies and righteousness... ( "Honor and Disgrace")

If the desires and evils are the same, and the things that cannot be destroyed must be disputed; If there is strife, there will be chaos, and if there is chaos, there will be poverty. The first kings were evil and chaotic, so they made rituals and righteousness divided into different things.... ( The King's System)

Born with desires, and if you can't want them, you can't be without demand. If there is no measurement boundary, it cannot be indisputable; If there is chaos, chaos is poverty. The first kings were evil and their chaos was also chaotic, so the system of etiquette and righteousness was divided... (Treatise on Etiquette)

Desire evil with things, desire more and less things, widows will fight... Therefore, those who know are divided into them. ( "Rich Country")

It seems without exaggeration to say that in the book "Xunzi", the sentence "The first king was evil and chaotic, so the system of etiquette and righteousness was divided" is played repeatedly like the main theme of a symphony. When Xunzi says "divide", its function and function are indeed manifested as going to chaos and stopping disputes, and the meaning of "distribution" is particularly obvious. "Distribution" is a general term that encompasses the distribution of a variety of "resources" (mainly "potential" and "things"); At the same time, "distribution" also refers to the result or effect. The anti-scrambling function of a single "division" does not necessarily mean "justice," because in this sense of "division" we can also regard it as a means, and the means can be just and just, or arbitrary and brutal. Therefore, the key lies in the value norms and principles behind "points" as a means of stopping disputes. According to Xunzi, in the face of the contradiction between "desire" and "things," an important focus of the pre-king system of etiquette with "division" is to eliminate the scourge caused by the arrangement of society by allowing the development of individuals' natural desires, and not to allow the strength of natural desires and the contingency of natural desires to dominate people's behavior and determine the principle of distribution, otherwise mankind will still not be able to get rid of the rule of the law of the "jungle world." Xunzi's analysis of man's sensual desires contains the opposition of etiquette to dominating and depriving others according to the force of natural nature, and also opposes the development of man's unrestrained nature as the result of the tyranny of the multitude and the destruction of the widows, while in Xunzi, the basis and pivot of "division" represents order and justice, which can bring people a "supremely peaceful" society of "living in groups and oneness". If there are brothers who divide the wealth, and who are obedient, and who are profitable and want to get, if so, the brothers will take each other; And the literary principle of etiquette and righteousness, if it is, will let the people of the country be embarrassed. Therefore, the obedience of the brothers is the quarrel, and the righteousness of etiquette is let the people of the country be satisfied. ”

It can be seen from this that how to reasonably limit people's desires through etiquette and righteousness, and distribute the limited "resources" fairly and justly, so that the "desires" and "things" can be coordinated and balanced, and "the two are consistent and long", constitutes the primary problem for Xunzi to rebuild the social and political order. In other words, in Xunzi thought, the establishment of socio-political structures also implies the emergence of the problem of distributive justice. Therefore, from this point of view, we cannot but say that the problem of justice in Xunzi's thought is actually manifested as a problem of distributive justice. In the sense of the root cause, the question of "why justice is necessary", like why courtesy is necessary, is not only related to the establishment of an orderly society, but also to the survival of human beings themselves.

IV. "Cut and Go, Go along with the Flow"

Justice is necessary, ultimately, because there is more desire and less.

But how is justice possible? The question of "how is it possible" involves both theoretical thinking and design, and at the same time, this thinking and design must be based on the recognition of the "fact of social existence." However, the so-called cognition of the "fact of social existence" has various ways, either setting reality with ideals, or setting ideals according to reality, and so on.

The fact of social existence recognized by Xunzi is a society with a differential structure, and Xunzi's concept of justice is based on this heterogeneous structure of society.

According to Qu Tongzu, "The Confucian doctrine denies the possibility of a social existence of uniformity and equality. It believes that human beings are intellectually, competent, and morally different. Some people are smart, some people are simple; Some are good and some are evil. Human beings naturally have a hierarchy. Therefore, everyone in society cannot be given the same role, and it can be regarded as equal and without distinction. As far as the view that "human beings naturally have a hierarchy" and that society cannot be neat and flat, this view may also be based on a simple naturalistic observation. Things are uneven, and so is the love of things. Of course, this analogy thinking cannot be said to be without a little reason for proving the structural arrangement of human social differences through the fact that there are differences in the natural world, but after all, its evidentiary power is limited, and one of the most obvious facts is that many phenomena in the natural world cannot simply correspond to and be transported to human society.

Xun Zi believed that a "supremely peaceful" society should be a society with a difference. Society has its own division of labor, such as the noble and the inferior, the elderly and the young, the laborers, the fathers and sons of the monarchs, the peasants, the industrialists, and so on, each has its own responsibilities, and "the lowly things are expensive, not the virtuous, and it is the common righteousness of the world" ("Zhongni"), "the young and do not want to be long, the lowly are not willing to be expensive, and the unworthy and unwilling to be virtuous are the three ominous things of man." And the reason why Xun Zi holds this view, in addition to this consistent position of Confucianism, seems to be related to his observation of analogous thinking, Xun Ziyun:

The even is not biased, the qi is not one, and the multitude is not made. There is heaven and earth, and there is a difference between up and down; The Ming Dynasty was established, and the state was governed. Husbands and wives cannot do things with each other, and the two unworthy cannot do each other, but the number of days is also. ( The King's System)

"Biased", Gao Heng notes as "defense". "Commentary": "Debate, rule also." This means that if everyone is equal, the state cannot govern without the distinction between nobles and lows; If there is no inferior position of officials, the will and action cannot be consistent; If there is no difference in the identity of the people, no one can serve anyone. Where there is heaven and earth, there is a difference between the upper and lower levels. When the Ming Dynasty was established, the rule of the country must be established. It is a natural truth that the two nobles cannot serve each other, and the two nobles cannot serve each other. It should be noted here that in terms of "the number of days" (the truth of nature) in terms of "the two nobles cannot do each other, and the two unworthy cannot do each other", this is the result of Xunzi's observation of the natural nature of human beings; As far as "there is a heaven and a earth, and there is a difference between the top and the bottom" and the "number of days" is concerned, this is the result of Xunzi's observation of natural physical phenomena, but in either case, it is necessary to show that a completely equal society is incompatible with the "number of days" and cannot exist, because inequality is a fact of the natural world and is also caused by human nature. In establishing the structure of social organization, there is no need to force inequality to be equal, and when "only Qi fei qi" is not "qi qi fei qi", so the "ZhengYi" Yun: "The system of the king of the other is also to make weapons according to the situation, and it is said that the near and far are equal to the tribute, will it be Qi Zhao?" Knowing this, Xun Zi said on the one hand, "The one who is polite, raises also," and then said, "A gentleman has both his nourishment and a good place." What is other? A: There are nobles and lows, there are differences between the elderly and the young, and there are those who are rich and poor. ("Treatise on Etiquette") Noble and lowly, rich and poor, and so on, each has its own differences, etc., which is the "number of days" pushed over, so Xun Ziyun:

Etiquette, nobles, etc.; There are differences between the elderly and the young, and the rich and the poor are also weighed. Therefore, the Heavenly Son is dressed in crowns, the princes are dressed in crowns, the Doctors are crowned, and the soldiers are dressed. Virtue will be called the throne, the position will be called Lu, Lu will be called use, by the soldiers above will be the festival of etiquette, and the people of the common people will be ruled by the law. To build a country by measuring the land, to count the profits of the people, to teach the people of manpower, to make the people victorious, to make profits, to make profits enough to feed the people, to make all the uses of food and clothing go in and out of each other, and to spare time, which is called the number. ( "Rich Country")

If, out of a simple naturalistic observation, the "number of days" is deduced from "weighing the number" and advocating the establishment of a society with differential distribution, this is not Xunzi's original view, and even in my opinion, this view is not compatible with Xunzi's thought, and Gai seems to have some similar smell to Legalism. However, what Xun Zi wants to oppose is precisely "thinking of heaven by wrong people" ("Heavenly Theory"), believing that "those who complain about heaven have no aspirations" ("Honor and Disgrace"), and "those who complain about heaven have no knowledge" ("Fa Xing"). In fact, as scholars have pointed out, "most ancient Chinese philosophers and politicians merely argued that different kinds of people should be paid differently for their work. Perhaps xunzi alone, who tried to give a systematic explanation of why consumption in society should be divided... His arguments are related to the scarcity of material and the inability to meet the needs of all without distinction. In other words, the originality of Xunzi's concept of distribution lies in his theoretical premise of "having more desires and having fewer things", so Xunzi tired of saying that "the desires are in harmony, and the desires and evils are the same, and the things cannot be contended; If there is contention, there will be chaos, and chaos will be poor. (The Royal System) "However, if you follow the desires of man, you will not tolerate them, and your things will not be able to support you." According to Xunzi, if the limited resources of "potential and things" are distributed according to the way each person is divided, it seems fair and just, but it is fundamentally impossible to resolve the contradiction of having less and more desires, because the limited "resources" can never satisfy man's infinite "desires", and the only way is to give inferior distribution according to a person's different social status, so that it can satisfy people's desires and needs to a certain extent, and can avoid disputes and maintain social order. It is precisely from this understanding that Xun Zi believes that "the case of the first king made a distinction between etiquette and righteousness, so that there are nobles and lowliness, the difference between the elder and the young, and the distinction between the foolish and the foolish, all of which make people carry their own affairs and get their own things." Then make Gu Lu more or less thick and thin, is the husband of the group and the way also. In short, in Xunzi, there are jaggednesses that are so neat, and bends that are so obedient, that people carry their own things and get what they want, which is the theme of his argument.

Undoubtedly, the difference in etiquette must be manifested in the distribution of various inferior treatments, and looking at the book "Xunzi", similar records can not be described as many, such as Xun Ziyun:

Tianzi Mountain Crown, Prince XuanGuan, Doctor Tiao, Shi Wei Ben, Li Ye.

Tianzi Yuyi, Princes Yudi, Daifu Fu Wat, Li Ye.

Tianzi carved bow, princes Tong bow, Doctor Black Bow, Li Ye. ("Rough Outline")

The Heavenly Son is dressed in crowns, the princes are dressed in crowns, the Doctors are crowned, and the soldiers are dressed. ( "Rich Country")

The suburbs stop at the Son of Heaven, and the society stops at the princes, the Tao, and the scholars.

The coffin of the Son of Heaven is sevenfold, the princes are fivefold, the doctor is threefold, and the soldier is heavy. (Treatise on Etiquette)

The above quotations are only some of them. Obviously, in Xunzi's "supremely peaceful" society, the so-called differential distribution of treatment broadly includes both political rights and economic interests, and these two aspects are closely interdependent. A person's income from distribution is directly related to the level of the position in which he or she is in, and the higher the position, the higher the resource treatment. By extension, everyone in society should have a clear understanding of their own identity, each keeping his own business, performing his or her duties, and then getting what he wants, "The peasants divide the land and cultivate, jia divides the goods and sells, the hundred work is divided and persuaded, the scholars and doctors are divided into duties and listen, the kings of the founding princes divide the land and keep, and the three princes discuss with each other, then the son of heaven is only for himself." If you go in and out, the world is not equal, and it is not easy to discern, it is the same as the hundred kings, and the great division of the ritual law is also. ("The King")

V. "Virtue is in order, and can be conferred on officials"

Xunzi's differential distribution directly denies the equality of the "resources" received by each person, and this proposition is naturally related to his criticism of Mozi's views. Although, as quoted above, Xunzi also has the saying that "if you go in and out, the world is not even", the "average" here is a "level" with a difference, which refers to the principle of allocating the resources of "potential and things", which is actually justice.

Conceptually, however, "what is received" is different from "what is deserved", the former refers to facts and the latter refers to value. If "what is "deserved" is "deserved", then we should theoretically ask further, what is the criterion for each person to obtain his "deserved"? On what basis do people get what they "deserve"? In this regard, Xunzi believes that the principles and standards by which people "deserve" depend on their virtue and ability. Although Xunzi's theory of differential equal distribution has its clear purpose, that is, to solve the contradiction of "wanting more and less", however, the nature of its theory is indeed not teleological, but moralistic; And therefore it is moralistic, that is, the principle of its distribution embodies the nature of justice; The reason why this principle of distribution is just is that it links and is consistent between a person's income and the level of a person's virtue and the size of his ability, so that the whole society can achieve "the position of no luck in the dynasty, and the people are not fortunate to live." (The King's System)

As mentioned earlier, in Xunzi, the resources to be allocated include both "potential and material", and the level of potential is directly related to the number of goods, such as the treatment of heavenly sons, princes, doctors, and scholars. Why should it be different? In principle, it is said that self is due to the difference between virtue and ability. Like Kong Meng, Xun Zi determined that the crowd is divided into wisdom, stupidity, meritocracy, and inferiority, and that there are differences between the noble and the inferior, and the labor and labor, "The noble and the inferior are not only divided in the work of labor, but also in the division of intelligence and virtue, and it is assumed that the social division of labor, social status, and intellectual virtue are three-in-one." Wisdom will be in the ascendant position, and the rule of the world will be the business; Mediocrity and foolishness will dwell below, and cannibalism will rule over people. The purpose of the state's ability to confer official duties and the banjue system is to make the sages distinguish themselves, so as to cultivate their virtues, and the material enjoyment of pampering and treating them is only the remuneration of the virtuous. So Xun Zi said, "Virtue will be called position, position will be called Lu, and Lu will be called use." (Rich Country) also says, "Judge virtue by virtue, and appoint officials according to their abilities, and let men carry their own things and get what they deserve." The upper sages made them the three dukes, the second sages made them princes, and the lower sages made them scholars. (The Way of the King) The higher the virtue, the more honorable the lord, and the thicker the Lu. ”

It can be said that "the higher the talent, the more honorable the lord, the thicker the Lu", which is the substantive expression of the principle of justice in the distribution of Xunzi's due. Talent and position, position and fenglu, fenglu and use, must be equal, must be equivalent. From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, everything they do, no matter how big or small, is to be pushed forward according to the principle of "weighing the numbers" (the so-called "weighing" in this case is justice), so that all the officials can be competent and the people can produce as much as they can. Similarly, the principle of justice is also embodied in the aspect of reward and punishment, and those who are meritorious must be rewarded and those who are guilty must be punished. Xun Zi's comments on "Zi Fa Ci Reward" recorded in the "Powerful Country" section illustrate the reasoning, Chu ordered Yin Zifa to lead his troops to the west to attack the Cai state, conquered the cai state, and captured Cai Shenghou, and after returning, reported the situation to King Xuan of Chu. Soon after, King Xuan of Chu presented him with a reward, but Zifa insisted, believing that "it is the lord Weiye who issues an edict and gives an order to retreat; To attack and retreat is to be a general Wei Ye; Fighting together with force and retreating is the power of the crowd. It is not appropriate for a courtier to be rewarded with the prestige of the people. In this regard, Xun Zi believes that the reward of the son's resignation is stubborn and unreasonable, and gai "is enabled by the virtuous, rewarded with merit, punished for sins, not alone, the way of the king of The First King, the essence of one person, the good and evil should also be, the cure must be by it, ancient and modern." "The virtuous and the able receive the place and the lu they deserve, and the meritorious and sinners receive the rewards and punishments they deserve, and this is the way of the first king, fairness and justice." Those who have merit are rewarded, and it is reasonable and justified. Xun Zi believed that this was "against the way of the previous king, the law of the chaotic Chu state, the minister who has fallen into the merits of merit, the genus who is ashamed to be rewarded, and the subordinate who has no respect for the clan party, but who despises his future generations", while Zi Fa thinks that he is honest and honest, but in fact hinders the implementation of the principle of justice. Because of this, Xun Zi believed that the Purpose of distinguishing between the differences and uses of people was for the sake of social order and order:

The ancient kings were divided and equal to each other, so that beauty, or evil, or thick, or thin, or or happy, or sharp or labor, not especially thought of as obscene, Quali voice, will be Akihito's text, Tongren's Shunya. Therefore, it is carved, engraved, and carved articles, so that it is enough to distinguish between the noble and the lowly, and does not seek its view; For the sake of the bells and drums, pipes, qinsers, and shengsheng, so that it is enough to distinguish between auspiciousness, acacia, and peace, and does not ask for anything else; For this palace room and the terrace, it is enough to avoid dryness and dampness, cultivate morality, distinguish between the light and the heavy, and do not seek anything outside. ( "Rich Country")

This means that the ancient kings distinguished between the nobles and the inferior, and the equal difference (distribution) of their work enjoyment, not to let the beautiful and cheerful people think that they are obscene, and to show off the barren labor, but to show off the literary principles of human morality, to understand the order of human morality, and then society has an orderly order. This is also as stated in the Confucian Effects: "Virtue is subordinate, and officials are given according to their ability, so that all the wise and the wise can get their positions, whether they can all get their officials, all things are suitable, and things become their right." It can be seen from this that in the system of thought conceived by Xun Zi, all strata and all kinds of people in society have their own requirements for their own positions, and only by satisfying these corresponding requirements can people enjoy the "resources" that they deserve with their class or group of people. Xun Zi has a detailed explanation of this, qiyun: "Husbands are born to steam the people, so there are reasons to take it: intention to cultivate, virtue to thicken, wisdom to make clear, is the reason why the Son of Heaven takes the world." Government decrees and laws, when taking measures, listen to the public, the upper can obey the orders of the Son of Heaven, and the lower can protect the people, which is the reason why the princes take the country. Zhi xing cultivation, the rule of the official, the upper can go up, the lower can protect his post, is the reason why the scholar took Tian Yiye. Follow the law, measure, punish, map, do not know its meaning, carefully keep its number, and be cautious not to profit or loss; According to the father and son, in order to hold the prince, although the three generations have died, the law of governance still exists, and it is the reason why the officials and hundreds of officials have taken the position of Lu. Filial piety, the original filial piety, the record of the strength of the disease, to Dunbi his career, but did not dare to be arrogant, is the reason why the people of the common people warm up and eat, long-lived and long-term vision, so as not to be tortured. Adorned with heresy, treacherous words, for the sake of relying on things, Tao's birth and sudden theft, tyrannical and violent, in order to steal life and turn against the chaotic world, is the reason why the adulterer takes the dangerous and humiliating death penalty also. ("Honor and Disgrace")

From this point of view, Xunzi's so-called "deserved" remuneration on distribution is essentially another expression made by the political position system through the principles of virtue and ability, on the one hand, those who have virtue (ability) will get their position, and they will get their place; On the other hand, his position and his lu in turn show the dignity of his virtue (ability). At least in XunZi's view, such a "moral energy-Lu use" system not only reflects fairness and justice, but also stimulates people's motivation for career pursuit and ensures the orderly operation of society.

However, it needs to be pointed out here that in Xunzi's view, on the issue of distribution, it seems that what is really worth treating with care is not the distribution of the material wealth of the common people, but precisely the distribution between the king and the officials at all levels, and although their "due" share is often expressed in the form of "material wealth", in essence, it embodies the principle of "nobility, respect, merit, and ability", which is "things go with virtue, and things go with ability", and the system of "virtue and ability" embodied in this principle is also subordinate to the political power system, showing status, division of labor, and work. The structure of the unity of decameron. If so, the officials at all levels, from the jun, to the xiang, have their own duties, and their positions are rewarded through various assessments, so Xun Ziyun: "The monarch, on one phase, Chen Yifa, Ming Yizhi, to cover both, to illuminate it, to see its prosperity." He who is the leader of the hundred officials should listen to all things, so as to decorate the division of the hundred officials under the court, to honor his merits, to celebrate them, and to serve his success at the end of the year to serve the king. When it is possible, if it is improper, it is abolished. ("Wang Ba") Here, "to sum up its merits, on its reward" and "when it is possible, if it is improper, it is abolished" implies the corresponding assessment criteria, and those who are appropriate should be rewarded and rewarded, otherwise, they will be punished and abolished. As for the officials and the officials, the way of the talents is also followed in this way, "Willing to be recorded, counted, and do not dare to be lost, it is the material of the officials to make officials." Cultivating and upright, respecting the Law and respecting the points, and not having the heart to lean over, keeping one's duties and practicing one's work, not daring to gain or lose, can be passed on to the generations, and cannot be usurped, is the material of the scholar and the official. (The Way of kings)

It is not difficult to see that such a distribution system of "virtue and ability-use" is subordinate to the political system of fame and position, and the virtuous will make them noble, and the foolish will make them poor and lowly; for example, in the whole society, poverty and inferiority will create such an atmosphere: For individuals, poverty and inferiority are manifestations of a person's immorality and incompetence, and the gentleman is ashamed of it, and this system also cooperates with the political "noble lords to be rewarded" and "punished with great humiliation." "The noble lord of The carved yanxian county is heavily rewarded in front of him, and the county is greatly humiliated after him, although he wants nothing, he can care about it!" This means that the noble officials and generous rewards are hung before the people, and the punishment of the crime and the greatest shame are behind the people, even if the people do not want to change in a good direction.

VI. "Meritocracy Does Not Wait for The Second Move"

Xunzi's concept of distributive justice of "virtue and energy-lu use", because it focuses on people's "ability", "lu use" has become a reward for "ability". Therefore, in line with "virtue must be called the throne, the position must be called Lu, and the Position must be called Lu, and The Lu must be called "In line with the use of "No virtue is not expensive, no ability is not official, no merit is not rewarded, no crime is not punished." The DPRK is not fortunate to be in the position, and the people are not fortunate to be born. Shang Xian enables, and the position is not spared; The wish is forbidden, but the punishment is not. ("The Royal System") "Shangxian made him three dukes, the second sage made him a prince, and the lower sage made him a scholar" "Shangxian Lu Tianxia, The Second Xianlu One Country, Xiaxian Lu Tianyi, may the people of The Mercy be clothed and fed." Behind this repetitive discourse, the purpose implied is nothing more than to use "virtue" to correct officials, summon the common people, and make everyone carry their own affairs, and Gu Lu can get what he deserves, and if so, society can reach the state of "living in groups and oneness." If this principle of justice cannot be effectively implemented, the wise and able cannot reign, and the foolish are satisfied, society will show ominous signs, so Yun "will repay all titles, official positions, rewards, and punishments, and follow the analogy." A loss of money, the end of chaos also. Fude is not qualified, can not be called an official, rewarded with improper merit, and is ominous. ("The True Treatise") and Yun: "To be small and to be big is to be small, but to be overcome is to have little power and a heavy task, and to give up the essence is not suitable." The body is not humble and false, it is the judas stretch and the good to rise, referring to the top of the more numerous. Therefore, the Lord is in order, so it is not chaotic; Loyal servants can then dare to accept the post, so they are not poor also. It is not chaotic to be at the top, it can not be exhausted from the bottom, and it is also extremely argumentative. (Confucianism)

We cannot fail to see that in the pre-Qin Confucians, respect for virtue and heavy morality were the concepts shared by Kong Mengxun, but by the time Xunzi had developed into a concept that attached equal importance to honoring virtue and respecting ability, or that Xunzi had particularly highlighted the aspect of heavy energy when it was heavy on virtue. Although Mencius had already seen the importance of "ability", it seems that the concepts of "the sages are in power, the able ones are in office" and "the meritocracy are enabled" are mentioned only in the Gongsun Ugly, but they are rarely seen elsewhere. However, looking at the book "Xunzi", the concept of heavy energy is particularly obvious. Generally speaking, Xun Zi's statement of honoring ability and heavy ability has several characteristics, one is that it is said that "Shangxian enables ability," such as the "Royal System" Chapter Yun: "If you want to make a meritorious name, you must not be able to make a name for yourself." Relevant or similar sayings can be found in "Rich Country", "Zhongni", "Parliamentarian", "Wang Ba", "Jundao", "Chendao", "Strong Country", "Gentleman", etc. It can be said that "Shangxian enables" is not only the standard for employing people and making people, but also the great festival of kings, and is the basic policy for those who use the state to establish order and resettle the country. There is no doubt that the enabling of the virtuous also embodies the spirit of distributive justice, because the sages, the able, and the unwise and the unwise will be rewarded accordingly; Second, on the basis of attaching equal importance to the ability of the virtuous (virtuous), Xunzi gave great prominence to his relationship with "being an official," "conferring officialdom," "fulfilling one's duties," and "appointing an official," for example:

As for the princes above the level of scholars, they can not perform their official duties with benevolence and knowledge. ( "Honor and Disgrace")

Virtue is determined, and officials are given according to their ability, so that all the wise and the wise can get their positions, whether they can get their officials or not, all things are suitable, and things become their right. ( "Confucian Effect")

Why? A: The virtuous can be lifted without waiting for the second, the cannot be abolished without waiting for the need, the yuan evil is not to be taught and condemned, and the middle is not waiting for the government to be transformed. ( The Monarchy)

The King's Theory: No virtue is not precious, no ability is not official, no merit is not rewarded, no crime is not punished. The DPRK is not fortunate to be in the position, and the people are not fortunate to be born. Shang Xian enables, and the position is not spared; The wish is forbidden, but the punishment is not. ( The King's System)

On the virtue of enabling and the official, the way of the holy king is also the way of the Confucian. ( "The King")

In terms of virtue and order, and in order to measure ability and to appoint officials, all make people carry their own affairs, and each one gets what is appropriate. ( The King's Way)

Noh Judge. ( The King's Way)

Cheng yi li number, li yi ding lun; Virtue is the seat of the emperor, and can be conferred by the official. ( "To the Soldier")

Fude is not in a position, can not be called an official, rewards improper merit, punishment is not improper, and it is ominous. ("The Right Theory")

Xun Zi has many similar statements, and he clearly conveys to us that although people have differences and differences in rank, there are fair and unified standards for the "deserved" of officials, conferring officials, and the differences in their distributions; Moreover, the appointment of officials and the amount of "resources" they deserve seem to be no longer determined solely by a person's virtue, but by virtue with ability; if so, the principle of distributive justice has developed from the original relatively simple indicator of virtue to an indicator of equal emphasis on virtue and ability, and this proposition can indeed be seen as Xunzi's new promotion of Confucianism. It should be said that the reasons for XunZi's emphasis on "moral ability" are manifold, and are related to the general characteristics of the development of the times and the special situation in the society in which he lives "cannot be made from above, acted in an undisciplined manner at the bottom, those who know must not be worried, those who can be able cannot govern, and those who are wise must not be made" ("On The Right View"); Of course, from the perspective of theory, it is also related to the goal of rectifying the social order that Xunzi wants to achieve, and the theoretical character of paying attention to man-made and human formation. Perhaps because of this, Xunzi also made demands on the ideal monarch, that is, to "noh group" ("Jundao") and "good group" ("King's System"). Xun Ziyun:

King, why not? A: Noh group also. Who can also be a group, why not? A: Those who are good at raising people are also good at raising people, those who are good at ruling people are also good at setting people, and those who are good at decorating people are also good at decorating people. Those who are good at raising people are close to each other, those who are good at ruling people are safe, those who are good at showing people are happy, and those who are good at decorating people are honored. The four are unified, and the world belongs to it, and the husband is the no-brainer. (The Way of kings)

In the above "four unifications", "birth and nourishment" is for the common people; "Banzhi" refers to the establishment of officials to perform duties and abide by the law; "Manifestation" is the way to employ people; "Fan ornament" is the way of making Lu, Chen Daqi said that "its fundamental meaning, 'virtue must be called position, position must be called Lu' two words can be exhausted." "Virtue and lu use are indeed the importance of Xunzi, and the ability and the conferral of officials are also the words of Xunzi. For Xun Zi, the monarch's energy group and the good group contain the ability to distribute fairly, and the "manifest setting" of "judging virtue and assigning officials, all make people carry their own affairs, and the way of differential system mentioned by each of them" and "Fan Ornament" is the content of it. According to Xunzi, the monarch's principle of just distribution, together with other practical political measures, can be "returned to the world", so the "Royal System" chapter Yun: "The monarch, the good group also." When the group is in the way, all things are suitable, the six animals are given their strength, and the group of beings is given their life. Therefore, when the breeding is long, six animals are bred; When killing, the grass and trees are planted; When decreed, the people are one, and the virtuous serve. ”

Xunzi main difference, etc., is rooted in the limited "resources"; The purpose of Xunzi Lord's justice is to enable "desire" and "things" to "last and grow together", to achieve "people carry their own things, and each gets what is appropriate", and social groups live together and one. As mentioned earlier, Xunzi's inferiority includes various aspects, among which the distinction between father and son, husband and wife, brother, and so on cannot be changed by human efforts, but what about the difference and difference between other social and political statuses? If these inferior positions of man are hereditary, rigid, fixed, and unchanging, then the righteousness of justice that Xunzi speaks of seems to be impossible to embody. However, Xunzi's nobility and inferiority are not completely determined by a person's origin, but by a person's virtue and ability; At the same time, human virtue and ability can be attained through the study and cultivation of the day after tomorrow, such as Xun Ziyun: "Now the people who make Tu Tu learn to learn, concentrate on one's work, think about what they see, add a long time to the county, accumulate goodness without stopping, then they will be through the gods and participate in the heavens and the earth." Therefore the saints, the accumulation of man. (Sexual Evil) and Yun: "Yao Yu, the one who is not born and possesses, the husband who starts from the change, becomes the cultivator, and the one who waits to be exhausted and the one who prepares." Xunzi has many similar statements, which are intended to clearly show us that the so-called inferior structure is not fixed, and that its principle of justice can be effectively embodied and implemented, at least theoretically. Xun Ziyun:

I want to be cheap and expensive, foolish and wise, poor and rich, can I?

A: Its only learning... The township is also mixed with the people, and the Russians are not yaoyu, are not cheap and expensive! The township also followed the discernment of the door room, and the confusion was once unable to decide, and the Russian and the original benevolence, the division of right and wrong, the circle back to the world in the palm of the hand, and the debate of black and white, is not foolish and know it! The people of the countryside are also depressed, and the great instrument of ruling the world in Russia is here, and it is not poor and rich! ( "Confucian Effect")

According to Xunzi, a person's nobility, wisdom and foolishness, rich and poor, etc. can be changed through the accumulation of learning and falsification of etiquette and righteousness. In fact, in order to emphasize and highlight the changeable nature of this difference, Xunzi here does not hesitate to use the slightly frivolous special rhetoric of "Russo", the purpose of which is nothing more than to change a person's identity by inspiring people to learn etiquette and by inspiring people to rely on their own efforts to improve their virtues and abilities. Xunzi and Yun:

The virtuous can not wait for the second to move, and can not be abolished without waiting for the need... Although the descendants of the princes and princes cannot belong to the righteousness, they belong to the common people.

Although the descendants of the Shu people also accumulate literature and are righteous, they can belong to the etiquette and righteousness, and they belong to the Qing Xiangshi Doctor. ( The King's System)

Historically, during the Warring States period, the feudal system was already in a state of flux and disintegration, and one of the characteristics of feudal society was that the official position was hereditary, and the identity and position of the individual often depended on blood relations. "The classes and territories of the landlords and nobles are hereditary. Civilians are born civilians and can never become nobles. But with the development of the social economy, this feudal order gradually disintegrated, and it was necessary to be exalted by relatives, and one of the problems that needed to be faced was, "If a person's status and remuneration are determined at birth, then they have nothing to do with the qualifications and achievements of the individual." However, since Xun Zi believed that "meritocracy does not wait for the inferior," although there are differences in actual existence, their ability can be obtained through acquired efforts and then change their social status. This proposition conforms to the development of the times, and in a certain sense implies the opening up of equal opportunities to people, and gives a new foundation to the theory of "social mobility." Because of this, Xiao Gongquan believes that Xun Zi said that "Chen Yi is supreme, reasonable, and equality is implied in inequality." Inheriting confucius's ideal of ascending to the throne with virtue, the lower opening of the Qin and Han cloth Qingxiang atmosphere. In view of Mencius' master Zhang, Xunzi was able to liberate himself from the influence of the feudal world and tend to be renewed. ”

VII. After-effect

In summary, we see that the two concepts of the same social theory, the idea of inferiority and justice, can be integrated, and must be integrated. It is precisely because it is because of the square face of the difference that justice shows its significance. According to Xunzi, the appropriate way to maintain the unity of social justice is to face up to the fact that there is a difference in inequality, and then formulate a standard of equality of justice, that is, to distribute a person's name and property on the basis of etiquette and righteousness, and according to the difference in the size of a person's "ability." If so, the inferior class receives the "resource" of its inferiority, but this inferiority is not entirely negative, because the strata difference in man is not fixed and unchanging, so that the concept of inferiority in Xunzi's ideological system can turn into a driving force for people's pursuit of status, and the reason why "inferiority" can become the driving force for this kind of stimulation stems from the fact that the principle of justice based on "virtue" ensures to a certain extent that people rely on their own acquired efforts to realize the possibility of changing their own status. Undoubtedly, one of the fundamental reasons why the theory of justice, based on etiquette and righteousness and based on the criterion of "virtue and ability", can provide a source of power for the establishment of a poor social order is that Xunzi's thought can face up to the desires in human nature, and it is this desire that provides the impetus for people to change their social status in a society with poor structures, because "people have many desires and do not want to be widowed" ("TheOry of Righteousness"), and "poor years do not know enough" ("Honor and Disgrace"); If so, the pursuit of this desire of man, accompanied by political indoctrination, reward and punishment, and other measures, can lead people upwards, and on the basis of ensuring social mobility and vitality, finally achieve the goal of "all things are appropriate, things become appropriate, when the heavens are up, when the land is favorable, the people are in the middle" ("Rich Country") The situation is that a group and a "most peaceful" society can be obtained.

Of course, this is the ideal presented by Xunzi theory.

Whether an ideal can be realized is one thing, whether the theory itself is true is another. We have said that Xunzi's principle of justice is a concrete embodiment of propriety, and this article attempts to show this principle of justice from Xunzi's system of thought. However, whether Xunzi's treatise on etiquette contains the principle of justice itself is not a self-evident question, because some scholars agree and some scholars hold different opinions. Professor Liu Feng fully affirmed the theory of Xun Zi Li, but also believed that the distribution principle of Xun Zi using li as a "measurement demarcation" ultimately led to a hierarchical order, rather than universal equality and justice, so we cannot misunderstand etiquette as a principle of justice. Basically, we believe that the social goal that Xunzi wants to build is an order of inferior harmony, and that the principle of distribution of rites is different from contractual equality and justice in the modern sense. I would like to add that, as analyzed earlier, inferiority is not only the social goal of Xunzi, but also the preconceived premise and starting point for Xunzi to establish his theory. The question, obviously, is whether a theory advocating an inferior order have its own principle of distributive justice? Do we deny the principle of distributive justice because Xunzi advocates inferiority, which also has its universal side? As far as the first question is concerned, through the previous analysis, we believe that xunzi's differential order and distributive justice can and can theoretically be integrated, as Professor Bao Limin said, "Whether it is the difference in etiquette and righteousness, or the equality of contract, it is out of the consideration of justice, not simply out of selfish interests, including class interests." A human community is always composed of different, opposing, and even conflicting components. How to balance the interests of all parties in the form of the basic system of society (legislation) and stop the destructive competition of various elements for selfish interests is crucial to the existence and development of the community. This is also the theme of 'distributive justice'. Xunzi's etiquette and righteousness were undoubtedly established out of the result of "chaos and poverty" and out of the consideration of justice (justice). On the second question, Professor Liu Feng seems to think that the "deserved" distribution of Xunzi difference is inconsistent with the universal equality contained in the "deserved" in modern distributive justice. Indeed, today, when freedom, rights, and equality are so deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, there is no reason for us to oppose the justice of equality in the modern sense and to defend Xunzi's inferior claims. However, we will leave aside for the time being the ambiguity of the concept of "equality" and the historical nature of the concept of "deserved", the "deserved" embodied in Xunzi's "deneng-Lu use" distribution principle is not without universal impartiality at least in its theoretical system, and as Professor Bao Limin said, whether it is the justice of Xunzi Liyi and other justices or Rawls's covenant equality, "both theories of justice are intended to be tested by the 'formal limitations of justice', that is, they are intended to meet the requirements of generality, universality, openness, orderliness, and ultimateity." Professor Henry Rosemont, Jr., after quoting a passage from Xunzi's "The Law of kings," commented further along Rawls's line of thought: "At the most basic level, the well-being of the people is always the basis on which Xunzi defends his point of view. He insisted that at least one minimal share of the state's resources was given to everyone, regardless of their social status. Some people earn more than others, depending on the importance of their responsibilities in society, but when everyone else is rich, no one becomes extremely poor. "We have reason to agree with Professor Liu Feng's view that from the modern stand on fairness and justice, Xunzi's differential distribution defends the hierarchical order of extreme monistic values, and as modern people, we have no reason to defend this; However, we cannot conclude that Xunzi's distribution of "virtue and energy-lu use" does not contain the principle of justice, which seems to be two different ways of thinking.

Published in Dongyue Forum, No. 3, 2017.