Xiao Bin 丨 Xunzi's academic response to the transformation and construction of the pre-Qin political order

Xun Zi's academic response to the transformation and construction of the pre-Qin political order

About author 丨Xiao Bin, Wuhan Academy of Social Sciences.

The original article is published in 丨 Journal of Wuhan University. Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition, No. 4, 2015.

summary:

The "end of the Warring States Period" of Xunzi's academic growth coincided with the end of the transition from the "co-lord" royal society of the early Chinese state clan to an autocratic imperial society. The Seven Kingdoms are competing, the sons are competing, and it is urgent to create a new ideology. Xun Zi created the "theory of sexual evil" according to the "heavenly behavior", and in academic criticism, he introduced the old and the new, deepening and even rewriting the "ritual theory" of Confucianism. Xun Zi held high the banner of the "Queen of the Law", honored the sages, and held up both virtue and law, seeking the rule of the inner and outer kings, and promoting the rebirth of the pre-Qin Confucians.

Keywords: political order; pre-Qin; sexual evil theory; Xunzi;

The 300 years from Confucius to Qin Shi Huang's unification of the world are not only the most intense and profound period of China's social transformation from division to integration, but also an era of great people. As the last academic master of the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, Xun Zi's lofty character, profound knowledge, super talent and innovative spirit, in response to the construction of political order in the transformation of pre-Qin society and the strategic idea of pursuing the construction of a well-off society, have all reached the last peak in the pre-Qin tree, and are very unique treasures in the treasure house of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation. Contemporary China is the continuation and development of historical China, contemporary Chinese thought and culture is also the inheritance and sublimation of traditional Chinese thought and culture, to understand today's China, today's Chinese, we must have a deep understanding of China's cultural bloodline, accurately grasp the cultural soil that nourishes Chinese. The significance of Xunzi's theory and practice today is as President Xi Jinping said: "Only by not forgetting history can we open up the future, and only by being good at inheritance can we be good at innovation." Excellent traditional culture is the foundation of the inheritance and development of a country and a nation, and if it is lost, it will cut off the spiritual lifeline. ”1

I. From the Spring and Autumn Period of "Collapse and Happiness" to the Warring States' "Change of Law and Seeking Harmony"

(1) Spring and Autumn: The cultural mystery contained in "Li Collapse and Happiness"

In 770 BC, Chinese history entered the "Spring and Autumn" era, which lasted for 294 years. Later generations of history have characterized it as "liturgical collapse" and chaos in the world. According to relevant records, in the 200 years of the Spring and Autumn Annexation War, about 500 military operations were launched by various parties, and more than 100 countries were destroyed, leaving only 14 major countries and their vassals, including Qi, Jin, Chu, Qin, Zhongshan, Wu, Yue, Lu, Cao, Wei, Song, Zheng, Chen, and Cai; 35 princely monarchs were killed (Feng Xianshi, 2006: 82). Obviously, it is a battle for the city and a murderous city; why should it be described in a full literary manner? Can't we say that without the words "libid and happy", we can't let go of the meaning of "great chaos in the world"? The commentator's foolish opinion: Indeed! Without talking about "the collapse of rituals and the happiness of bad", it is difficult to judge the nature of the Spring and Autumn Chaos; it is precisely this kind of judgment that shows the political wisdom of my ancient sages who were well versed in the mysteries of culture.

Judging from the data preserved in ancient times, the ancient Chinese people understood as early as 4,000 years ago (the early days of the Longshan culture in archaeology) that the nature of war is divided into righteousness and injustice; and it is culture that guides war and solidifies it into history, so culture is the most important thing in human activities; especially in the great social change and transformation, if there is no timely cultural integration and no new ideology to nurture people's spiritual world, any political rule cannot last. In ancient China before the Spring and Autumn Period, the ethnic groups that won the war carried out two major cultural integrations in order to consolidate and develop the fruits of victory. The first occurred in the "Five Emperors Period" of the great transition from primitive society to class society, that is, the Yellow Emperor's "Fifty-two Wars and the World's Salty Obedience", and the establishment of a large and large political community of chiefdoms including thousands of large and small tribal societies with him as the big leader. At that time, the tribal culture of "mixed people and gods" in the community was entangled, and there were often escape and betrayal incidents such as "Nine Li Chaos", which seriously hindered internal unity and stability. In order to eliminate the interference of outdated culture and form a new "theocratic politics" ideology, After the Yellow Emperor, Emperor Huan carried out the "Religious Reformation", integrating the tribal small culture of "family as witch history, and the people and gods are in the same place" into a new culture of "Jedi Tiantong" controlled by the chieftain of the chiefdom ("Chinese Chu Yu Guan Zhi Father on jedi Tiantong" in order to smoothly construct a transitional political order.

The second great cultural integration occurred in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, that is, during the zhou gong (dan) design of the Zhou Li (the institutional blueprint for the western zhou to "set up officials and divide their duties"). The values it follows and the plan for setting up officials and dividing up posts are a summary of the experience of implementing "ritual rule" in the patriarchal societies of the Xia and Shang dynasties. Although it is not yet a realistic social system, it is extremely precursor to the establishment of ruling ideas and specific forms by the Western Zhou rulers. Confucius was very appreciative of the Zhou Li: "Yin because of the Xia Li, the profit and loss can be known; the profit and loss of the Zhou because of the Yin Li, can be known." It may be followed by the Zhou Dynasty, although it has been a hundred lifetimes, it can be known. As the crystallization of the basic experience of patriarchal civilization and the most perfect text, the Zhou Li supported and promoted the prosperity and development of the first two or three hundred years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, so that Confucius, who belonged to the Yin people, was pleased and convinced that "Zhou Jian yu second generation, depressed Wen Zhao, I cong zhou" ("Analects , Eight Tong"), and often dreamed of zhou gong, which also had a profound impact on the political development of ancient China for more than two thousand years.

In the final analysis, it is the requirement of the development of social productive forces; it is also related to the value concept of "Zhou Li" and its specific operating procedures that are difficult to correct. The Zhou Li was structured on the two cornerstones of the sub-feudal system and the patriarchal system, which was forced by the Western Zhou Dynasty in the early days; but it was later deified, rigidized and permanentized. The most intolerable one is the system of primogeniture succession of titles and property; the second is the "Shiqing Shilu system" (世卿世禄制) (世官制) for the appointment of officials. They are the most fragile and bleak traces of the political value of the Western Zhou Dynasty, which not only rigidly the operation of the political system, but also prejudge the root of the "scramble for the throne and chaos of the country", and must be the first part of the "collapse of the ceremony". With the passage of time and the collapse of the "Zhou Li" day by day, when the King of Zhou has no innovative ideas and sits still, the "great chaos in the world" that reflects the form of "Li Collapse and Happiness" will show it the hidden cultural mystery: things go to the opposite side under certain conditions, the "Zhou Li" is exhausted, and the rebellion is justified!

(2) "Warring States": The "Seven Kingdoms" competition for dominance is the manifestation of the theme of the era of "changing the law and seeking harmony"

"The general trend of the world, the division of long-term will be united, the combination of long-term will be divided", this is the opening words of the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that the Chinese people are familiar with. If the "Spring and Autumn" of the first 300 years was an "ice-breaking journey" of transformation and change, and in the disorder of "unity and long-term separation", it was impossible to destroy the old system lawlessly; then, history entered the "Warring States Period" (475 BC - 221 BC), and the path of these 250 years was to use the "old bottle to brew new wine". At that time, Qin, Chu, Qi, Yan, Han, Wei, and Zhao competed to unify the world, recruiting talents and soldiers for the sake of a rich country and a strong army, prompting all the sons to flock up and say their own things; once they deeply went deep into the key thinking of the theme of the times, such as: What ideas to use to guide the pursuit of unity and unity? What kind of methods and methods to adopt to "build a nation and a monarch"... Academic giants of various factions will make you dizzy like a number of treasures. Therefore, to understand what the urgent tasks of the late Warring States period were, we must first ask the "icebreakers of the Spring and Autumn Period" and ask how deep the degree of the old system is. Second, we should ask for advice from the second great cultural integration and see how their ancient culture has taken the essence and discarded the dross.

The "breaking" of the Spring and Autumn Period is more thorough. The premise is that people have seen through the irrationality and unfairness of the system of "patriarchal society", and have become increasingly aware of its "rationalization into nonsense, happiness into pain", indicating that people have vaguely realized that "there have been unconscious changes in the methods of production and forms of exchange, and the social system suitable for earlier economic conditions is no longer adapted to these changes" (Marx and Engels, 1995b: 618). That is to say, the life of the Western Zhou Dynasty will come to an end, but it is not willing to automatically withdraw from the stage of history; the "social master" has no choice but to invite "weapon criticism" to send it to the end. New modes of production and forms of exchange (first and foremost the tools of production) have made great strides in the old mother: the discovery and use of iron (then called "evil gold") agricultural tools in the late Western Zhou Dynasty, the discovery and popularization of cattle farming technology in the Spring and Autumn Period, the development of handicrafts, remote trade and transportation, the prosperity of commerce, etc., have laid the initial foundation for the birth of a new society materially and technologically.

As for the problem of the existence and abolition of the "land ownership system of the king", it has long been solved by the "bloody politics" of the Spring and Autumn Period. This is because: (1) The Western Zhou Dynasty's "royal land system" itself contains private ownership, as Mr. Fan Wenlan said: "After granting land to the people, the land subjects are still nominally still part of the king's land subjects, and in fact the person who grants the land to the people has the right to cede or exchange, which is equivalent to private ownership... The lords' ownership, the Son of Heaven, should not be violated for no reason. (Fan Wenlan, 1965: 137) (2) After the Spring and Autumn Period", after the "Battle Of the Armies" (546 BC) in the Spring and Autumn Period, the countries of the Central Plains did not have wars against each other for decades, but the annexation of the princes was unprecedentedly fierce. Land and property have been plundered from each other, and state-owned land and newly opened land and property have long been taken over by private ownership. (3) The surviving princely states in the late Warring States period have been successively called "kings"; "kings" have also existed in name only. In view of this, the times have set a task for the "end of the Warring States Period": From the perspective of removing the old and the new, it should be innovation, and in particular, it is necessary to conscientiously sum up the fresh experience of several monarchs of Wei Wenhou, Chu Zhuang, and Qin Xiaogong in changing the law and striving to become stronger; from the angle of "soft and hard work," monarchs with achievements should, while continuing to develop the economy and enhance their hard power, free up one hand to grasp the "software construction" of ideology and theory, and do a good job in the third great cultural integration.

The so-called "cultural integration" refers to the establishment of values, attitudes, beliefs, orientations, and generally held opinions in a society " ( Huntington and Harrison, 2011: 8 ) to form the ideology of a "liburn society". Judging from the academic paradigm of modern social transformation research, the transformation of the two levels of artifact innovation and institutional reconstruction has been fully carried out in the past 500 years, and is developing towards standardization and institutionalization; but the transformation of the core culture involving the new ruling ideology is still sharp on the whole, and it is not uncommon for the sons to make a fuss. Even the State of Qin, although it adhered to the concept and policy of ShangMartin's "severe punishment of shaoen" (Sima Qian, 1959: 2238), did not waver; more and more side effects have cast a heavy shadow on the blueprint for building a future political order. Therefore, the establishment of ideologies that adapt to the new economic foundations, especially the core values of the "Liben Society", is the most urgent task facing the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms and the hundreds of sons.

Second, Xunzi is based on "Confucianism" and the "cultural integration" of absorbing the strengths of a hundred families

(i) It is culture, not politics, that determines human progress

"Culture" is difficult to define, and its definition is no less than two or three hundred. In his book "The Important Role of Culture——— How Values Affect Human Progress," the American international political theorist Samuel Huntington began by stating that we focus on culture from the entry point of "human progress", "if culture is all-encompassing, it will say nothing." Thus, we define the meaning of culture from a purely subjective perspective, referring to the values, attitudes, beliefs, orientations, and commonly held opinions in a society" (Huntington, Harrison, 2011: 8).

Returning to ancient China, "In the spring and autumn season, the three families of Kong, Lao, and Mo were composed at the same time, and their ideological doctrines were the source of all scholarship after the Spring and Autumn Period" (Meng Shijie, 1992: 363). Entering the "Warring States", the theme of the times shifted from "disintegration" to "seeking unity", and the main theme of the trend was to strive for "rich countries and strong soldiers". After the death of Confucius, the art of the sons sprang out, and a hundred flowers of values blossomed. According to the Book of Han and Yiwen Zhi, there were about 189 pre-Qin sons, and the major categories were divided into 10 (only Confucianism, Taoism, Mo, and Fa were deeply influential on the course of Chinese history). After more than 200 years of generations of masters of various schools, the ideological and academic activity has been unprecedented, providing a deep foundation for the key factor needed to rebuild the political order of Lilly, that is, to integrate into a new value culture.

In a situation where conflicts of interest were prominent at that time, it was of course impossible to try to integrate the new culture into "value monism"; however, the political culture that formed the mainstream value was conditional. The "dominant culture of values" is the "dominant culture of thought", which is "nothing more than a dominant material relation in the form of ideas" (Marx and Engels, 1995a: 98). The creation of this ideological culture is both a model for political practice and an opportunity for political theory. The so-called "model" refers to the Qin state ruled by Qin Shi Huang "Yu Lie of the Sixth Emperor of Fen". The Shang Martingale Transformation Law "has been practiced for ten years, and the Qin people are very happy." The road is not lost, the mountain is free of thieves, and the home is full. The people have the courage to fight in public, and they are afraid of private fighting, and the countryside is greatly ruled"1. The so-called "theoretical opportunity" is the "long-term peace and stability" school with Confucianism as the main trunk, of which Confucianism advocates the "royal way" and opposes "hegemony". Confucius believed that "hegemony" was not good, giving birth to the value orientation of good profit and forgetting righteousness, "confusing its teachings, multiplying its punishment, confusing the people and trapping them, and thus controlling it, so that the punishment is complicated and the theft is invincible" (Confucius, 2009: 11). Mencius despised Qi Huan and Jin Wen for hegemony, believing that the right way to govern the country was to practice "benevolent government", on the premise of "self-cultivation as the foundation" (Four Books and Universities). The Taoist advocate is to "rule by doing nothing" and return to "a small country and a society of widows". Another faction of "quick victory and convenience" with the Legalists as the main trunk, in which the Legalists advocate "hegemony" and oppose the "royal way.". Shang Martin regarded benevolence, righteousness, morality, and ritual as "heresies," and held that if there are "ten people" who have courtesy, pleasure, poetry, books, goodness, cultivation, filial piety, brothers, honesty, and debates, then "if there is no war in the country( the law makes the people go), it will be cut to death; if there is no country without ten, there will be war, and there will be a king" (Shangjun Shu To be strong). He pinned his hopes for victory on the policy tools of "punishment and reward": the Mo family's struggle for "peace in the world" had another idea, that is, to distinguish the nature of war "righteousness" and "injustice", and to fight against those tyrants who were "not good for heaven, not good for ghosts in the middle, and not good for people at the bottom", Haojie in the world should uphold the "heavenly will" and launch a "righteous war" to control it, and seek the arrival of the Qingming world that "loves each other and benefits each other, and will be rewarded" (Mozi, 2007: 126).

The controversy between the sons is like a big wave of sand and sand: (1) the ideological views of each school have changed somewhat, including the revision and abandonment of the original academic views, as well as the criticism and absorption of foreign schools of thought; (2) some schools disassemble and reorganize, or change the court, or disappear. For example, in the controversy, the Yin-Yang family and the Simeng school converged to Confucianism; after Mencius's criticism, part of the peasant family returned to Confucianism, and some became hermits to The Taoists; the Zongheng parents belonged to the famous masters in speech and diplomacy, and the famous masters eventually belonged to the Taoists; the Mo family gradually lost power in the debate to the Qin and Han dynasties; the Fa family had a long and stable inheritance, and finally became the guiding ideology of Qin Shi Huang's rule of the country through Han Fei's collection of its achievements, and so on. Therefore, from the perspective of political and cultural controversy, the last years of the Warring States period were actually a dispute between Confucianism and Law. Although Confucianism is inferior, it is "cold in age, and then withered after knowing pine and cypress" (Analects of Zihan). Xun Zi resolutely withstood the strong pressure of the outside world at the juncture when Confucianism was facing life and death, criticized the "treacherous words and heresies" inside and outside Confucianism with the tremendous academic courage of "a gentleman must argue", held high the banner of "longli and honoring the sages", and used the innovative liturgical culture to educate his disciples and influence society, so as to turn the tide of the tide.

(2) The subjective and objective conditions for cultivating Xunzi to absorb the strengths of a hundred families

Mr. Guo Moruo said, "Xunzi was the last master among the sons of the pre-Qin Dynasty, and he not only gathered the Dacheng of Confucianism, but also the Dacheng of a hundred families... He 'began to recite the scriptures, and finally read the rites', and the transmission of the six sutras naturally had his influence in it. But to be fair, he can really be called the ancestor of the Miscellaneous Family, and he has almost integrated the doctrines of the Hundred Schools. There was hardly a single family of the pre-Qin princes who had not been criticized by him" (Guo Moruo, 2004: 640). In the face of the severe situation in the last years of the Warring States, XunZi used his life experience in the three servings of the Qi State Jixia Xuegong Tomigu, used the "eclectic" Xun Xue advantage that he had built for 35 years before and after the State of Qi, and used his extensive knowledge and fearless academic courage to resolutely assume the academic responsibility of reviving Confucianism and integrating culture. Mr. Du Guoyu pointed out: In the last years of the Warring States period, the demand for great cultural integration was almost a common ideological trend of all families. Xunzi was a synthesizer of ancient Chinese thought, and his criticism of his sons was often appropriate. For without criticism there can be no synthesis, and without criticism there can be no development. ...... Xun Zi's superior intellect and rigorous attitude were sufficient to bear the task of this general critique; it was precisely because he had fulfilled this task that he was able to establish a system of doctrine on such a grand scale"; and "because of his criticisms, the pre-Qin doctrines left signs of generalization" (Du Guoyu, 1962: 191). Elder Du accurately discussed the conditions and style of Xunzi, and we can also add points from four aspects: First, Xunzi's youth "began with chanting the scriptures and finally reading rituals", laying a deep foundation for the future refinement of Confucianism. In the academic experience of grinding, comparing, and criticizing in the decades before and after the Minoru Gakuen, he deeply understood and understood the essence of Confucianism, comprehensively grasped the complex relationship between the contemporaneous development requirements of The internal architecture of Confucianism, and clarified its direction of advancing with the times. Therefore, when he lobbied King Qin Zhao, he confidently expounded the benefits of Confucianism( effect); in front of Qin Xiangfan Ju, he dared to rebuke the "disease" of "no Confucianism in the Qin State"! Second, the Jixia Xuegong was not only a club of scholars in the last years of the Warring States period, an academic center in the world, but also a political, economic, and cultural information center. The "Xun Sacrifice Wine" not only has the conditions to understand all kinds of problems from thousands of internal students and gather realistic materials on the intersection and separation of major events in the world; it also has the conditions to understand and grasp the dynamics of research in various localities and disciplines among the leading figures who receive visits from various localities and schools, and then promptly enrich the new information, new knowledge, and new achievements harvested into their own research, so that their horizons will be broader and far-reaching, their thinking will be more sensitive and meticulous, and their research results will be closer to the needs of reality. Third, Mr. Hu Shi said that "the learning of all sons begins with the evils of salvation and the rise of time" (Hu Shi, 2012: 325). One of the contents of Xun Zi's presidency of the Xuegong was that when several generations of Qi kings "discussed the state is", they provided reference opinions for the decision-making of Qi's internal affairs and diplomacy. To a certain extent, "theoretical seniority" pushed Xunzi to the cusp of political "storms", and he had to make efforts to study practical problems in depth; at that time, under the system and mechanism, it brought bad luck to Xunzi. Fourth, Xunzi's environment is that "deeds are higher than people, and the multitude must not be", and he is not subject to the conspiracy of the treacherous villains at all times. After many misfortunes in Qi and Chu, he resigned his official post with hatred for the ugliness of human nature and returned to his post, and worked with his disciples to sort out the manuscript until his death and burial in Lanling in the Chu kingdom.

Third, XunZi pioneered the theory of political order in the vision of "heaven and earth"

(1) Xunzi absorbs the heads of a hundred schools in his criticism

Sima said of the "Six Houses" to mean: "Yi DaChuan: 'The whole world is consistent and full of worries, and the same return is the same way.'" Fu Yin yang, Confucianism, ink, name, law, morality, this business is also the ruler, straight from the words of the different ways, there are provinces do not save the ear" (Sima Qian, 1959: 3288-3289), it can be seen that he is well versed in the mystery of "cultural division": since the dispute between the six schools is "the ruler of the work" (seeking the goal of great governance), cultural integration has the premise of identity; but as the guardians of traditional cultural classics and representatives of practical interests, they draw on each end of the traditional cultural resources due to different environments and conditions in understanding and specific operation When discussing reality, studying countermeasures, and seeking a way out, they are even more influenced by their respective values and interests, and the phenomenon of "having provinces is not introspective" is inevitable.

Not only is there a realistic basis for identity and hundreds of years of collision and initial integration, Xunzi's method of implementing integration is to "grasp the big and let go of the small", that is, to abandon the entanglement of figurative details and "tend to be grand and refined", focusing on the criticism of the academic foundation is shallow and the understanding is hidden. For example, he pointed out that "The prudent son is seen in the latter, not in the first (lack of innovation); Lao Tzu is seen in the curse, not in the letter (closed by stereotypes); Mozi is seen in Qi, not seen in the deformity (negating the difference); Song Zi is seen in the less (widowed), not seen in the more", etc., these hidden understandings are the products of not knowing "the body is constant and changeable" ("routine" eternal, "change" is all the product), and they are also packaged ("decorated with enough"), hoping to achieve the purpose of "self-disorder within and deceiving people externally".

If it is said that the "theory of sexual evil" is mainly aimed at Mencius's Confucian criticism of "sexual goodness", then Xunzi's materialist view of nature and the formation of the political views of "The Queen of the Law" and "Longli Zunxian" are mainly the products of absorbing and transforming the achievements of the Confucian school. Shen Zhi, Song Zheng, Yin Wen, and other representative figures of the late Warring States Period Daoists (then known as "Huang Laozhixue"), believed that "heaven" was the essence of the universe, it "no roots, no stems, no leaves, no glory, all things are born, all things are formed" 1, indicating that "Tao" and "virtue" are natural. Xun Zi accepted Song and Yin's view of "natural heaven", but denied the mystery of "heaven" and the passivity of man. After transformation, XunZi's materialist view of nature came out: "Heaven is constant, not for Yao survival, not for death; it should be ruled by luck, and chaos should be fierce." If the heavens are strong and used sparingly, the heavens cannot be poor; when they are prepared and moved, the heavens cannot be sick; and if the cultivation is not fruitful, the heavens cannot be troubled. Therefore, water and drought cannot make them hungry, cold and heat cannot make them sick, and strange people cannot make them fierce. (Xunzi Tianguo) To put it simply, first, the development and change of nature has its laws, and man cannot act against the law; second, people have subjective initiative and creativity, and acting according to the law can "man conquer heaven." This is a brand-new chapter in rewriting the "Heavenly Taoist View" of Confucianism, and it is the theoretical basis for guiding Xunzi to observe society and study culture (especially political culture).

(2) "Sexual Evil Theory": Xunzi traces the origin of the "political order"

Xun Zi, based on the simple materialism of "heavenly behavior is constant" and "tomorrow's distinction between people" ("Xunzi Heavenly Theory"), believes that although the view of "social chaos" of Zhuzi theory is desirable, the overall level and academic foundation are very weak. In his famous articles such as "Non-Phase", "Non-Twelve Sons", "Orthodox Theory", "Heavenly Theory", and "Unmasking", he made a criticism of the names and surnames of the sons. Criticism guides Xunzi to the logical starting point for the study of rebuilding the political order, positioning the in-depth exploration of the reasons for the "collapse of ritual music", until the question of why human beings should establish a "ritual music system"? Tracing back to the origin of the human code of conduct, Xunzi realized that "born with desire, desire and can not, can not be without demand, seeking without measuring the boundary, can not 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 be inexhaustible, and things will not succumb to desire, and the two will be held together and long, and they will be the result of etiquette. The one who is the one who is the one who worships, the one who raises it. It can be seen that the norms of behavior that produce self-discipline and other laws such as "etiquette" or "system", "punishment", and "legal system" were originally the products of coordinating the relationship between people and between people and between people and nature, and the primary purpose was to ensure the normal progress of human material production and life. Where does "human desire" come from? Xunzi said that it originated from "human nature". What is human nature? Xun Zi said, "Whoever is of all nature, the heavens are also, and they cannot be learned or done." ...... He who cannot be learned, who cannot do anything in heaven, is called sex" (Xunzi Sexual Evil), "Hungry and hungry, cold and warm, laboring and breathing, good and evil, born of man, he who does not wait, yu and jie are the same" (Xunzi Bugou).

It can be seen that "sex" refers to the physiological nature shared by human beings, which has the genetic genes of humanoid animals, but it is different from the nature of animals. Xun Zi made an argument from both theoretical and practical aspects. Theoretically, he pointed out that human society is essentially different from the animal world: First, "the reason why man is human is that he is not specially two-legged and hairless, but also distinguished by his discernment" (Xunzi Non-Phase). The so-called "discernment" is the recognition of human relations. Second, people live in the "herd (society)", "the force is not like an ox, walk is not like a horse, and the cow and horse are used, why?" A: People can be a group, but they can't be a group. How can people be a group? Yue: Divide" (Xunzi Wangzhi). What is "division"? that is, the social hierarchy and division of responsibilities in which people live and live in the group are the products of social norms. Therefore, for the survival and development of human beings as a whole, it is necessary to keep the desires of individuals restrained and to implement external peremptory norms and guidance. In practice, Xun Zi cited the rebuttal evidence: "The nature of today's human beings is born to be good and profitable, and shun is (let it develop), so it is born to fight for birth and resign to death; born with disease and evil, shun is, so the cruel thief is born and loyal to the dead; born with the desire of the eyes and ears, there is a good voice, and shun is, so fornication is born and the etiquette and righteousness are dead." However, from the nature of (indulging) people, from the love of others, they will be violent out of contention, and they will be punished with violence out of confusion. ...... The rebellion of the world and the death of each other are not waiting for it. (Xunzi Sexual Evil) His conclusion is: "Sex is also, I can't also, but it can be transformed." ("Xunzi Confucian Effect") This "transformation", Xunzi's name is "pseudo" (artificial). The confrontation between sex and pseudo is the dialectical method of Xunzi's innovative social research: "The sageization of nature arises from falsehood, pseudo-origin arises from sex and gives birth to ritual righteousness, and ritual righteousness is born to make the Law." However, those who are righteous and righteous are born of saints. Therefore, the reason why the saints are the same as the multitude is that they are not different from the multitude, and so is sex. So the one who is different from the multitude, the pseudo-one. The "Theory of Sexual Evil" laid the lofty position of Xunzi in the earliest systematic and comprehensive study of social theory (origin and essence) in ancient Chinese history.

Fourth, Xunzi's general idea of re-establishing the political order of Lile

(1) The practical spirit of the Dharma and the rebirth of Confucianism

The Spring and Autumn Warring States Rebellion, which lasted for 5 and a half centuries, stemmed from the fundamental changes in the social mode of production at that time; and this basic change was bound to rapidly expand into the economic, political, cultural, ideological and other fields of patriarchal society, mercilessly impacting the patriarchal system of the "early state" and pointing sharply at the "liturgical politics" of the Western Zhou. For the ancients thousands of years ago, even if they felt the huge impact of social transformation, they could not make a theoretically lawful explanation. The "Six Classics" (Poems, Books, Rites, Music, Yi, and Spring and Autumn) compiled by Confucius, although rich in extremely high political wisdom, are ultimately only a collection of experiences in the great political community of the chiefdom and the "zongben society" in governing the country and the people. When Xun Zi responded to the political thinking of building "order", the socio-economic and technological basis on which he was based changed. On the one hand, he must adhere to the core confucian values of "benevolence and righteousness"; on the other hand, he must face the reality that what methods can be used to establish a healthy and not a broken political order? What path can we follow to run towards the ideal society pursued by Confucianism? The enlightenment of history: Confucianism must be "the queen of the law", in the service of realpolitik, the rebirth of the fire, with the times!

Xun Zi's life experienced ups and downs, and when he observed the causal relationship between "libid and happiness" and "re-establishment of order", his understanding naturally entered the wood. Social transformation is a transition to break old rules and raise "new seedlings", which objectively provides an opportunity for human nature to be dangerous and rebellious. The "Chronicle of Mencius Xun Qing" said that at that time, "the subjugation of the country and the chaotic monarch belonged to each other, and did not follow the road and camped in Wu Zhu", and Xun Qing was extremely jealous of this "government of the turbid world". It is precisely the "unrighteousness of the top" that has created the evil image of "the upper is unable to make it, and the lower is unscrupulous", especially the observation of the "so-called servants of the present" (similar to the current cadres at all levels), whose behaviors of defilement, thief and disorder, wantonness, greed, conflict, rudeness and righteousness and lust for power, and so on ("Xunzi Non-XII"), although it should be "waiting for the teacher to be righteous, and then ruling with courtesy and righteousness", the chaos can be cured is not a painting embroidery, and it should be learned from Shang Martin. When Xun Zi inspected the State of Qin, he replied to Qin Xiangguo Fan Sui's question of "what is the perception and impression" and praised the State of Qin from the aspects of the shape of the mountains and rivers of the Qin State, social customs, the clothing of the people, the governance of the yamen, the style of officials, and the fact that he did not compare the Zhou and the party with no friends, and praised the Qin state for "ruling by oneself, making details about it, doing it without bothering, and ruling it to the best of its ability" (Xunzi Qiangguo). It shows that the treatment of chaos must be "heavy", but it cannot be corrected! Of course, he also saw the danger of the Qin state "eliminating Confucianism" and ruling the country by punishment alone. A picture of governing the country jumped out of my mind: combining the realism of the Legalists with the idealism of Confucianism, and implementing the "Combination of Confucianism and Law, and the Combination of Germany and France" is definitely a new road of Confucianism! Xun Zi's written expression was that "the law of righteousness and righteousness is to temper people's sentimentality": "The power of establishing a monarch is to be pro-arrival, the righteousness of etiquette is to be transformed, the law is to be correctly governed, and the punishment is severely punished to prohibit it." Xun Zi's confession is actually a dozen "programs for controlling chaos" of the newborn Confucianism! His student Han Fei followed this path by proposing a deformed and distorted "two-handle" view of governing the country: "Those with two handles, criminal virtue also." What is criminal virtue? A: Killing is punishment, and reward is virtue. ("Han Feizi Er shank")

(2) Long Li: Xun Zi's major revision of confucian "etiquette"

There are 375 characters before and after the "li" in the Xunzi anthology (Ma Zhong, 1993: 561). Xunzi 'Longli' had two principled modifications to Confucius's "etiquette":

1. In terms of origin, the ceremony is transformed from "love book" to "profit book"

At that time, Confucius said that "at the beginning of the ceremony, the beginning of the diet" ("Li Ji Li Yun"), the disciples of Zhongni Xi Li made efforts from the aspects of spiritual cultivation and moral self-discipline, positioned the "ritual" as "self-cultivation as the foundation", and formed a political and cultural tradition of "through the state, the fixed society, the order of the people, and the benefit of the heirs" ("Spring and Autumn Left Transmission , The Eleventh Year of the Hidden Duke"), which is worthy of recognition. However, it is impossible to achieve and consolidate the permanent rule of the patriarchal monarchy with the spirit of "comity" and the system of "etiquette". Confusing clan feelings with the way to govern the country is the first form of Confucian "etiquette" ("love form"), and the Zhou Li is its perfect expression. After the baptism of blood and fire in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States, the Confucian "love book etiquette" was abandoned by the times. Xun Zi examines the origin of etiquette from the perspective of simple materialism, and realizes that the "great chaos under the heavens" in any era is by no means the confusion and lack of "gifts of love", but precisely the struggle for "unmeasured demarcation" of interests that has caused a tragic death. In order to fulfill the requirements of "etiquette, nurturing also", the "group" cannot tolerate the human desires of individuals, thus revealing the substantive meaning of "etiquette (system and norm)" and "division". From a shallow point of view, the first ceremony is "measured and demarcated" to raise people ("to nourish people's desires, to give people's demands"); the second is to "hold on and grow" ("so that desire will not be poor, and things will not succumb to desire"). At a deeper level, this object of "making rituals and dividing righteousness" has shifted from "emotional" to "material" (interest). Therefore, the rational mediation of the production of members in the "group" (the production of things and the production of people) and the problems of material life (the rational distribution of social wealth) is the premise and starting point of "making etiquette and righteousness divided". Xunzi's "Liben" morphological etiquette, which refers to things as the return, not only laid a theoretical foundation for him to build a new theory of transitional political order, but also provided ideological guidance and great explanatory power for planning the strategic strategies and tactics for the implementation of the new order. Xunzi's great contribution to promoting the innovation of Confucian "etiquette" cannot be erased.

2. In practice, the content and function of the "Long Li Zhi Fa" have been expanded and improved

The Zhou Li called for the "two-tiering" of the social structure out of blood patriarchy: the princes and nobles at all levels were the upper class; the commoners and their slaves were the lower classes. The principle of "ritual rule" is that "etiquette cannot be lower than the common people (etiquette and indoctrination), and punishment cannot be punished by the doctor (criminal management killing)" (Li Ji Qu Li). The vast majority of the country's population has been deprived of the right to indoctrination and political participation. In the late Spring and Autumn Period, although Confucius had some criticisms and revisions on the separation of "etiquette and punishment", the overall idea still insisted that the gains and losses of the state's chaotic rule of affairs were not in the law, and in virtue was not in the punishment. In the Xunzi era, with the passage of "property" as a criterion for the division of etiquette and rank: "Although the descendants of princes and scholars cannot belong to etiquette, they belong to the shu people." Although the descendants of the Shu people also accumulate literature and are righteous, they can belong to the ceremonial righteousness, and they belong to the secretary, the xiang, and the scholar. Xun Zi took the "Concept of Righteousness and Righteousness" as the core content of the "German-French Combined Rule", and not only gave profound arguments (including academic rebuttals) theoretically, but also wrote "Chengxiang Chapters" in the form of folk songs in his later years and made extensive publicity.

The purpose of Xunzi's "Long Li Zhi Fa" is not to cultivate "saints", but to deepen their understanding of "people who are rude and do not give birth, things that are rude, and the country is not at peace" ("Xunzi Self-Cultivation"), and give full play to the role of "going up to heaven, going down to earth, honoring ancestors and longing masters". However, in Xun Zi's view, the "use of etiquette" is far more than this: "The heavens and the earth are united, the sun and the moon are bright, the four hours are in order, the stars are in line, the rivers are flowing, all things are prosperous, likes and dislikes are decorated, mood and anger are dang, thinking that the lower is smooth, thinking that the upper is bright, changing and not chaotic, the second is mourning, and the etiquette is not complete!" (Xunzi Li theory) Mr. Du Guoyu commented that Xunzi's view of expanding "etiquette" into a common norm of nature and society brought "the development of Confucian etiquette to an end, so the Han people compiled the Book of Rites" and adopted a large number of Xunzi's theories, and since then, Confucianism has only been able to do some annotated work on etiquette, and has not developed again" (Du Guoyu, 1962:42).

5. Conclusion

Can the governance and chaos of the political order be answered from the good and evil of human nature? The materialist view of history holds that there can be no simple answer. Marxist scholars study national problems, always adhering to the basic principles and analytical framework provided in the "Critique of Political Economy And Preface" to conduct specific analysis of specific problems. However, the rule and chaos of the political order are indeed related to the good and evil of human nature. Engels once said: "In Hegel, evil is the manifestation of the dynamics of historical development. The double meaning here is that, on the one hand, every new progress must manifest itself in the blasphemy of a sacred thing, in a rebellion against the old, decaying, but customary order, and on the other hand, since the emergence of class antagonisms, it is man's wicked lusts——— greed and lust for power that have become the levers of historical development. (Marx and Engels, 1995c: 237) In the second great social transformation in ancient mainland China, Xunzi used "human evil" as the theoretical fulcrum to answer his views on the source of the chaotic world, but also expressed his basic idea of constructing a "grand view of order" in the future society, with specific content and logical meticulousness, as an academic response to the controversy of a hundred schools of thought, the weight is very heavy; its academic status has also shone in the next 2,000 years.

The "two-step" practical plan designed by XunZi based on the principle of the unity of sexuality and pseudo-opposition can also be called a historical "treasure book" with unique values: the first step is to govern the chaotic world of the princes' divisions, and the second step is to suggest the king's way to rule the world. In the first step, Xunzi opposes the Zhongni disciples' "matter of no Dao Huan Wen" and the practice of forcing Wang Daoren to "do it in one step". He believes that "hegemony" has two sides: "righteous hegemony" can play a role in promoting from chaos to governance, while the tyranny of "bullying" can only hinder the progress of history. They are an inevitable link in the long history of rebuilding the new order, and they must not be treated with caution. King Xun zizun did not oppose hegemony, and demanded that more "righteous hegemony" be brought closer to the "royal way" and give full play to its positive energy as much as possible. With regard to the construction of the second step of the politics of the royal way, Xun Zi, based on Confucius's analysis of the "ideal of Datong" and the "well-off to the rule", believes that the foothold of the construction of the "royal way" should be located in the "well-off society", that is, the "king of the law" - with Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, Chengwang, and Zhou Gong as the law, "etiquette and righteousness as discipline, with the right king, with the father and son, with the brothers, with the husband and wife, to set up the system, to establish the field, to be wise and wise, to take merit as the enough"; all those who govern "if they do not do this, those who are in power will go, and everyone will think that they will suffer" (Li Ji And Li Yun). The benchmark set by XunZi for the "Inner Saint and Outer King" is the great Confucian like the Duke of Zhou: "Adhering to the etiquette system" is not rigid, and "changing the order" is not exceeded. Under this premise, the saint does his best; the king does his best, and the two do his best, which is enough to serve the world. However, in the "great form of the Tao", Shi Renzheng must "outline the purpose", in a nutshell: The Noble King of Longsheng, the Enabler of Shangxian, the Rich People and the Strong, the Etiquette and the Law; the Celebration of Rewards Does Not Exceed Merit, the Punishment Is Not Excessive, and the Prohibition and Order in the Great Powers Under the Unity of the World are Prohibited and Advanced and Retreated in an Orderly Manner. Unfortunately, after qin shi huang unified the country and mountains, he adhered to the line of honoring the "emperor" rather than the saint, strengthening the country and not enriching the people, and although he practiced "bullying" in the name of "emperor", the military authoritarian politics he constructed did not have legitimacy (Habermas, 1989: 184). His dream of the so-called "Emperor of The Ten Thousand Worlds" was also short-lived.