Title: "Classical Masterpieces Complete Annotated Translation Library: Xunzi"
Editor-in-charge: Liu Shuqiao
Proofreader: Zhang Wanlin
Publisher: Yuelu Book Club
Publication date: March 2022
【Introduction】
"Xunzi" is an important philosophical work written by the great Confucian Xun Quan in the Warring States period, thirty-two articles exist today, the whole book is based on the Confucian theory of reverence and righteousness, and advocates the evil theory, which not only inherits the traditional Confucian idea of "serving the government with virtue", but also advocates that governing the country requires heavy etiquette and righteousness and punishment, and advocates the simultaneous use of "etiquette" and "law". In this book, Xun Zi put forward political propositions such as Long Li Chongfa, Shangxian Renneng, and Fumin Huimin, explaining his pursuit of the political ideal of the monarchy, which had a profound impact on the philosophical thought and political culture after the Qin and Han Dynasties, and is a book for people to study and study Confucianism today. This book is an annotated translation of the entire book of Xunzi, and on the basis of intensive research, the author translates the whole book, relieves the words and analyzes the meaning, focusing on the philosophical interpretation of Xunzi thought.
【About the Author】
Zhang Wanlin, male, born in 1968, Dayeren, Hubei, is currently a professor of the Department of Philosophy of Xiangtan University, vice president of the Confucius Society of Hunan Province, a master tutor, mainly engaged in Chinese philosophy research, in 2009 founded the Hongyi Zhixing Association, in order to promote Chinese Confucianism, practice the spirit of "the unity of knowledge and action". He has published 3 academic monographs: "Research on xu fuguan art interpretation system", "He ri zizhong: the sadness of a Confucian era", "The foundation of beauty and its spiritual practice - a study based on the study of mental work", and more than 50 academic papers. In 2009, he founded the Hongyi Zhixing Association with his own strength to promote the holy religion of Confucianism and practice the spirit of "unity of knowledge and action".
【Editor's Recommendation】
A work of righteous discernment and judgment
——Professor Zhang Wanlin's full-annotated translation of "Xunzi" was published
Liu Shuqiao, responsible editor of Yuelu Book Club
In 2019, Yuelu Book Club published a selected edition of "Xunzi" translated and annotated by Professor Zhang Wanlin (16 of which were selected), which was published as a kind of popular library of classical masterpieces launched by Yuelu Book Club. Based on this, the publishing house decided to publish a complete annotated translation of "Xunzi". In March this year, the complete version of "Xunzi", translated and annotated by Professor Zhang Wanlin, was finally released. As the responsible editor of the selected and complete editions of Xunzi, I would like to take this opportunity to make some explanations and recommendations.
The translated version of "Xunzi" has been published by major publishing houses in many editions, and compared with the previous editions, the edition of Professor Zhang Wanlin launched by Yuelu Book Club this time has the following three characteristics:
First, the overall ideological judgment is that Xunzi is judged to be a divergent of pre-Qin Confucianism. Because from the perspective of academic personality, Confucius and Mencius are the type of saints who practice, while Xunzi is a scholar type that is biased toward theory. Professor Zhang Wanlin has a general understanding of pre-Qin Confucianism, that is, Confucius and Confucius disciples are practitioners, and the seventy sons are scholars, and Mencius is a propagator, and these two stages are the Confucianism of the sage form, and the ultimate one is the transcendent "Tao";
However, as for Xunzi, it is distinguished as a rectificationist, and the ultimate is the ritual and law under the form (this detailed discussion of the general cognition will be found in Professor Zhang Wanlin's book "The Completion and Transformation of "Religious Dynamics": A Study of the Evolution of the Religious Connotation of Pre-Qin Confucianism) to be published by the Intellectual Property Press). It is in this general understanding that this book is annotated. Therefore, this book is not a biblical exegesis, but a philosophical judgment of righteousness.
Second, in the commentary, a detailed analysis and interpretation of the relevant principles is carried out. In the book "Xunzi", some ideas contain profound righteousness, but they are often not cited, which requires detailed interpretation and interpretation by the translator. Professor Zhang Wanlin's translation of Xunzi is unique in this regard. For example, in the Non-Twelve Sons, Xunzi criticizes Mencius for being "hidden and unspeakable, closed and unsolved." This sentence is difficult to explain clearly without an in-depth analysis of the doctrine of righteousness, but the general annotated translation is difficult to explain clearly. However, in-depth righteous analysis should be more familiar with the teachings of Zisi and Mencius, and the different academic personalities of Xunzi and Zisi Mencius are analyzed. For "hidden and unspeakable", Professor Zhang Wanlin's interpretation is as follows:
For Zi Sizhi's "Zhongyong", this sentence cover is said to be "deep and subtle and cannot be explained". "Zhongyong" talks about the perfect state after the saint's cultivation, which is often difficult to define and analyze in logical language, and Zi Si often uses poetic language to describe and praise. Zhu Zi said that the "Zhongyong" was "dense and large-scale" (Zhuzi Language Class, vol. 14), and "beginners did not pay attention to it" (Zhu Zi Yu Class, vol. 62), which shows that the cultivation of work is not enough, and it is indeed difficult to understand the realm of "Zhongyong". Xun Zi's learning is outward-leaning and re-argumentative, so it is often different from the purpose of Zi Si's inward leaning and re-enlightenment, so in the realm of "Zhongyong" is often dazed, it is because of this assertion of Zi Si.
This is a Confucian tradition, but Xunzi expressed doubts and objections in the "Orthodox Treatise", saying: "If a husband has evil and is good at the world", "The division of fu li and righteousness is exhausted, and the evil use is arbitrary". For these two sentences, Professor Zhang Wanlin made an in-depth interpretation:
Historically, in fact, there is indeed a Zen concession, but why does Xunzi oppose the "Zen concession" theory? Most of the Zen speakers think that the world is a private property, and that Zen renunciation is to transfer private things to others, which is firmly opposed by Confucians. Mencius also had a similar view, "Mencius Ten Thousand Chapters" contains: "Man has said, 'As for Yu and virtue decline, it is not passed on to the sages but to the son'. Mencius said, "No, so be it." Heaven and the wise are the wise, and the heavens and the Son are with the Son. ”
Mencius meant that the world is not a private property, and cannot be transferred in the name of an individual, whether the person is a sage or his own son; even if it is transferred to a sage, the Confucian does not approve, which does not mean that the object of transfer is not his person, but once he recognizes his transfer, he recognizes that the world is a private property, which is very dangerous. Therefore, Mencius repeatedly emphasized "heaven and it", which means that the world is not a personal transfer of private property, but a match between the virtues of public property.
Xun Zi said, "He who is the same is also, and the one who is different is not", that is, if the virtue is as beautiful as Yao Shun, then he is the Son of Heaven, but this Son of Heaven is not given to him by others in the form of private property, but he should be the Son of Heaven, because the people will naturally belong to him; if the virtue is not as good as Yao Shun, he should not be the Son of Heaven. "Should" and "should not" are seen entirely in terms of righteousness and righteousness, not as a zen concession of private property. Although historically, in fact, Yao did give the throne to Shun, this must be seen from the perspective of righteousness and righteousness ("The people's belongings do not vibrate and obey to obey", which means that righteousness and righteousness make the people subordinate, and naturally become the Son of Heaven), and it is definitely not Yao who cedes the private property Zen to Shun.
What Xun Zi denies here is not the historical fact of Zen Rang, but the denial that no one can transfer the world to others as private property. Most translators translate "the same person is also, the one who is different is also" as follows: "Words and deeds that are the same as Yao Shun are correct, and those who are different are wrong", if this is the meaning, it has nothing to do with the Zen Rang mentioned here. In Xunzi, the Son of Heaven is neither a power nor a position, it is only a reason.
What's the reason? Govern according to etiquette and righteousness, and fulfill the distinction between etiquette and righteousness. In reality, there are differences between the people of Tianzi who pass on the son, pass on the sages, or obtain it in a revolutionary way (such as the Wu King's Harvest), but the principle of the Son of Heaven is an eternal and uninterrupted existence, and there is no possibility of transmission and seizure, so not only does Zen make it non-existent, but also does not exist. Therefore, whether it is the son of the Holy King or the Three Dukes, if they have fulfilled the principles of the Son of Heaven, in the eyes of Xun Zi, there is no difference; if there is no Saint King, that is, no one can fulfill the principles of the Son of Heaven, even if someone zenifies the position of the Son of Heaven, it will not be recognized.
What Xun Zi emphasizes against the "Zen Concession" theory is not to always stare at the position of the Son of Heaven, the power, and the person in the position, if it is only so, what is the Son of Heaven, people do not understand, or even only envy, its power and wealth; but to pay attention to the truth behind the Son of Heaven in reality, only in this way can we understand what is the Son of Heaven, and we know how to do it. Only after understanding this could Xunzi have the confidence to say that the Holy King "will be able to do whatever he wants in the world when he dies."
Through Professor Zhang Wanlin's interpretation, the reason why Xunzi opposes the Zen concession theory is to pursue the objectivity of politics and make politics not in the subjective "concession", which is consistent with the objectivity of Xunzi's heavy ritual method.
There are many such deductive interpretations in the whole book, and for the reader, this is a very in-depth analysis of righteousness and philosophical education, and careful readers can experience it with their hearts.
Third, the characteristics of this book in the format are: left and right double columns, white and white comparison, viewing the translation without turning the page, in the reading to provide readers with great convenience.
【Preface】
Xun Zi ,real name Xun Qing(荀卿), courtesy name, was a native of the Zhao state in the late Warring States period. During the Han Dynasty, he avoided the secret of Emperor Xuan of Han and changed his name to Sun Qing. There has been a debate in the academic circles about the birth and death year of Xunzi, and according to a variety of comprehensive research, Xunzi was born around 325 BC and died around 235 BC at the age of ninety, which is extremely likely. Xun Zi tasted to study at the Qi Zhi JiXia Xue Palace, and was the "most teacher" when he was king of Qi Xiang, and he was the third to sacrifice wine. Unfortunately, king Qi Xiang could not use it, and he was expelled. Suiju Chu, Chun Shenjun thought that Lan Ling Ling, Chun Shenjun died and was abolished. Therefore, the book Li said that there were 32 articles in the book "Xunzi". For more than 2,000 years, Xunzi has been one of the most important classics of traditional Chinese culture, and has been continuously read, annotated and studied by scholars.
Xunzi, along with Confucius and Mencius, is known as the three major Confucians of the pre-Qin Dynasty, but we generally use the Way of Confucius and Mencius as a synonym for Confucianism, without adding Xunzi. Why? Because the way of Confucius and Mencius represents the authenticity of Confucianism, this authentic sect is from the inner saint to the outer king, but Xunzi is long and heavy, and is not very familiar with the inner saint, but attaches great importance to the outer king. In this way, Xunzi's social ideals and even the development of the human realm are significantly different from those of Kong Meng. Precisely because Xunzi's thoughts did not belong to the Confucian Orthodox Sect, the tablet of Xunzi in the Ming Dynasty was expelled from the Temple of Literature.
In order to facilitate the reader's understanding of Xunzi, here are four points: first, the basic characteristics of Xunzi thought; second, the main content of Xunzi thought; and third, the gap between the transcendence of Xunzi thought and religion. Fourth, the possibility of Xunzi becoming a Dharma; fifth, the question of the version of Xunzi.
First, the basic characteristics of Xunzi Thought
The life form of Xunzi is different from that of Confucius and Mencius, the latter two are the life forms of the sage type, and the life form of The Xunzi is the life form of the scholar type, which determines that Xunzi's thought has the following characteristics:
First, horizontal, broad. Horizontal means that Xunzi cannot be vertically extreme to the heavens, but can only cling to the empirical world in a flat manner, so the religious spirit is lacking, and Xunzi cannot feel the heavens spoken of by Kong and Meng; the breadth refers to the fact that Xunzi's thoughts involve all aspects of secular life. The book "Xunzi" is far more complex than the "Analects" and "Mencius", and this is the sign of the scholar sitting and discussing the Tao, and leisurely contemplating. "Xunzi" is complex, and the thought of the right view of Xun Zi is the flat view of the use of the body, the Analects and Mencius are concise, and the thought of Confucius and Mencius is three-dimensional from the body to the use.
Second, empirical and insightful. Empirical means that Xunzi's thought falls at the sub-metaphysical level, and the transcendent metaphysical level cannot reach. Try to see Xun Zi's experience of human nature, "The nature of today's human beings is born with good and profitable, and shun is, so it is born to fight for birth and resign; born with disease and evil, shun is, so the cruel thief is born and loyal and dies; 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." (Xunzi Sexual Evil) If we look around the world, what Xunzi said is indeed true, but can human nature be discussed from this? What is contemplative means that Xunzi requires that any thought must find the cause in the empirical world, be verified and explained.
Xun Zi said, "Whoever discusses it has discernment and conformity. Therefore, sitting can be set up, and open can be implemented. (Xunzi Sexual Evil) A theory must be confirmed and tested in the empirical world before it can be true, otherwise it must be false, and Xunzi used this to deeply dispel Mencius's theory of sexual goodness. Empirical and insightful further shows that Xunzi's thinking is common sense. A theory naturally has to be tested and confirmed, but whether it is necessary to be tested and confirmed by common sense experience is not necessarily necessary, but Xunzi's understanding often stops here.
Third, it is argumentative and speculative. The argument refers to Xunzi's complex and rigorous ideological system, the pursuit of academic invulnerability, and even the proof of his own correctness from the omissions of others. Confucius and Xunzi both wanted to "correct their names", and Confucius's correct names were to investigate "Li Le's conquest of tianzi out" ("Analects of JiShi"), "kings and subjects, fathers and sons" ("Analects of Yan Yuan"), which is ethical and practical; however, Xunzi's correct name is based on the name to refer to the truth, and the so-called "name is fixed and real" ("Correct Name"), which is studied and debated. What is deduced is that Xunzi hopes to show the correctness of his thoughts through reasoning and proof.
The most prominent example is the "Sexual Evil" section, whose main idea is "human nature is evil, and its good is false", which appears repeatedly in the text, so its writing is long-lasting, but only to deduce the conclusion that "human nature is evil, and its good is also false". However, because Xunzi also admired the way of Confucius and had a certain political enthusiasm and ambition, he did not despise arguments for the sake of argumentation, and extrapolated for the sake of extrapolation, because Xunzi was extremely disgusted and looked down on Huishi and Gongsun Long in famous families, so that his arguments and testimonies were not as refined as those of famous masters, and often stopped at common sense.
The above three points are interrelated and mutually inclusive, and empirical and observational must contain horizontal, broad and argumentative and speculative. For example, Xunzi's famous theory of sexual evil is actually based on the chaos of the Warring States period after observing the breadth of the empirical world, so as to deduce that the bad result must have a bad cause, so the human evil is deduced from the chaos of the world. In fact, this theory of human nature, which is based purely on the observation of the horizontal empirical world, is extremely crude and unscient, but Xunzi's experiential character makes him unwilling to spend energy here, so his arguments and reasoning seem to be complete at first glance, but through careful examination, there are actually many contradictions.
Judging from the whole book of "Xunzi", Xunzi is a calm, close-minded scholar, he shines through the Confucian way and the study of Confucius with the cold light of wisdom, although the book everywhere reflects his yearning and admiration, Xunzi is good at reasoning, can argue, but he is very dismissive of reasoning and argument itself. -------------------------------------------------- Non-Twelve Sons"), in fact, the study of Si Meng is neither secluded nor hidden, nor closed, that is, it is necessary to open the light of the life testimony to the ear, but Xunzi cannot receive this spirit at all. When we read the Analects and Mencius, we feel the leap of a sage's life everywhere, but when we read Xunzi, we seem to be completely unable to feel the existence of life behind the words, and Xunzi and the words he left behind seem to be completely separated.
Xunzi passed on the systematic and rich Confucianism for his descendants, but did not promote the religion of settling down and establishing a life. Because Xunzi, as a scholar-type life form, is fundamentally separated from the Sect of Establishing a Life. The scholar-type life form is always flat and reasonable, calm and rigorous, but insufficient enthusiasm and enlightenment. Russell had criticized Aristotle for lacking religious zeal, and like Aristotle, Xunzi was only a pedantic figure with a highly experiential character and no transcendent religious spirit.
Second, the main content of Xunzi Thought
The main contents of Xunzi Thought are: the concept of heaven and man; the theory of sexual evil; the theory of mind; the law of long li, the clear division of the group; and the role of ritual.
First, the view of heaven and man.
Originally, whether in Confucius or Mencius, heaven and man were connected. Therefore, Confucius said, "He who knows me, his heavens are!" (Analects of the Constitution), Mencius Yiyun "devoted his heart, intellectually and knowing the heavens" (Mencius Devoted to his heart). But Xunzi is different from this, saying that "only saints do not seek to know the heavens." In Xunzi's case, heaven is the heaven of nature, not the heaven of the moral nature of Confucius.
Tiangong is powerful on the one hand, and mysterious on the other. However, whether powerful or mysterious, it is always a matter of heaven and has nothing to do with man, because man has no way to change the laws of heaven. This is the meaning of the saints not to seek knowledge of heaven. In this way, Xunzi here emphasizes the importance of personnel affairs, and does not care too much about what the heavens do. Although the laws of the operation of heaven cannot be artificially changed, they can be used for the benefit of mankind.
The heavens think about it, and the creatures and animals make it! Praise from heaven, and use it with the destiny of heaven! Wait for the time, and make it when the time comes! Because of the many things, it is transformed by the power of the two! Think of things and things, and do not lose things with reason! May things be born, and things be born! Therefore, if you think of the heavens in the wrong person, you will lose the love of all things. (Xunzi Tian' Treatise)
Xunzi's emphasis on the objectivity of the natural day, rather than with human morality, is undoubtedly true from a scientific point of view. But Xunzi went too far on this road, he did not see at all that since the pre-Qin Dynasty there was another heaven of morality and religion in addition to the heaven of nature, this heaven is related to human morality, and all understanding of man or human nature must be related to this moral heaven, but unfortunately Xunzi completely published the heaven of morality with the heaven of nature, so that Xunzi could not connect with the authentic path of Confucius and Meng, and opened up a branch of Confucianism. Xun Zi's theory of sexual evil, the idea of unifying the mind, and the idea of long li and heavy law are all derived from his view of heaven and man, and although they have been created and transformed in the authentic path of Kong Meng, they are after all different branches of Confucianism. Originally, Confucianism was taught in Kong Meng, but in Xunzi, Confucianism was no longer taught, but only learned.
Second, sexual evil theory.
"Human nature is evil, and its good is also false" is the central sentence of the "Sexual Evil" chapter, which appears repeatedly in the text. There are two meanings expressed here: first, human nature is fundamentally evil; second, through the indoctrination of the day after tomorrow, man can be good, which is the so-called "transformation of nature to falsification."
Why does Xunzi say that human nature is evil? It is from the perspective of man's biological instincts. "Born with good and profitable", "born with diseases and evils", "born with the desire to see and see, and have good voices and colors" are all human biological instincts, and no one can deny them. If human beings allow this instinct to develop without suppressing it, then as XunZi said, "contention is born and resignation is given to death", "cruel thieves are born and faithful are dead", "fornication is born and etiquette is born". This is simply a beast and not a human society. Therefore, Xunzi believes that in order for human society to govern well, it must face up to this evil nature and "teach the Dharma, the way of etiquette and righteousness", so that people who are evil in nature can be good.
Xun Zi cut off the connection between man and heaven, and only looked at the existence of human biology realistically, so as to advocate the theory of sexual evil, which is not completely meaningless. But he was completely opposed to Mencius's theory of sexual goodness, but he had not yet learned. Truthfully, Mencius did not deny Xunzi's words, but his meaning was higher. Mencius saw what Xunzi saw, but Xunzi did not see what Mencius saw. In terms of the development of human nature, Xunzi is inferior to Mencius after all.
Xun Ziya said that sex was evil, saw the negativity of human nature, and thus wanted to correct this negativity, so he attached importance to the external degree of etiquette and righteousness, and pulled people to the realm of "Tu can be Yu". However, Xunzi reached this realm by relying on external forces rather than self-consciousness, which was insufficient for the development of human nature, and implied the danger of moving toward violence and tyranny, and later his disciples Han Fei and Li Si completely went to the Fa, which is precisely the reason. In fact, relying only on external forces, it is impossible to achieve the realm of "Tu's person can be Yu", Han Fei did not say so, nor did he ask for such a request. Xunzi demands this, and this demand can only be based on the theory of sexual goodness, and Xunzi's thought actually contains a hidden line leading to the theory of sexual goodness, but he is not self-aware.
Third, the theory of the mind.
In Mencius, sex is a lie and the heart is a reality. Mencius said that sex is good, but what is sexual goodness? To be implemented, sexual goodness refers to the heart of the four ends, and the heart of the four ends outside does not matter about sexual goodness. Therefore, Mencius yun "knows the heavens with all his heart and intellect", and there is no qualitative difference between heart and sex. But in Xunzi, sex is the truth, the biological instinct of man, and the heart is also the truth, and the mind and sex become two completely different things.
So, in Xunzi, what exactly is the "heart"?
The Heart, the King of Form, and the Lord of the Gods, give orders and receive nothing. Self-prohibition also, self-making also, self-conquest also, self-taking also, self-also, self-stopping also. Therefore, the mouth can be robbed and the ink cloud is made, the form can be robbed and the shen is made, and the heart cannot be robbed and makes it easy. Yes is what is received, and if it is not, it is resigned. Therefore, it is known that the heart allows it to choose, and it will appear on its own without prohibition, and its things are also mixed, and its feelings are not bad. ("Xunzi Unmasked")
Xun Zi said that the heart is "the king of form, and the lord of the gods", which is also the general meaning. That is to say, the mind is the one who gives the order, not the one who receives the order, and the mind has its own potential and freedom, and the so-called "self-prohibition, self-making, self-grasping, self-taking, self-stopping" is also. Xun zi demanded that the mind should be single-minded and quiet, and if it is chaotic, it will be chaotic and difficult to know. Therefore, Xun Ziya's heart is to know, and his grand words are unmasking, but in order to seek a "void and quiet" mind can really know.
What are the characteristics of Xunzi's so-called heart? It seems to be a large vessel of emptiness, empty inside. To be vain and quiet is to clean the mind, to present its original void, and not to let foreign bodies and impurities occupy it, which is what Xunzi calls "great clarity." Only such a clear mind can know the Tao. Otherwise, if you say, "You will suffer what you have done," you will not be able to know the Word. Xunzi's theory of the heart is similar to the western philosopher Locke's whiteboard theory, but it is only a container of empty outlines. In this way, Xunzi analyzes the mind and the Tao as two. Unlike Mencius, the mind is not a blank slate but has the power of the four ends.
Fourth, the idea of long li and heavy law.
By Xunzi's theory of sexual evil and theory of the mind, it will be the law of long liturgy. Because Xun Zi adheres to the theory of sexual evil, he cannot think that the birth of the ritual is based on human nature, on the contrary, the ritual is to correct human nature, and the ritual is completely the hypocrisy of the saints, that is, the external production.
Where did the ceremony come from? A: Born with desires, and if you want and can't, you can't be without demand. If there is no measurement boundary, it cannot be disputed; if there is chaos, chaos is poor. 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 impoverished by things, and things will not yield to desires. The two are held together and long, which is the origin of etiquette. ("Xunzi Li Theory")
Ritual originates from the strife of human desires, and is limited by ritual and brought to rule. Although Xunzi also speaks of "those who are rites, raise them" (Xunzi Li Theory). However, its so-called "nourishment" is not an external expansion but a "nourishment" of nourishment. Xun Zi treated the nourishment of righteousness and security with the tiger of the sleeping, and the cultivation of jiao, silk, and milong in the same way, indicating that their cultivation was external. That is, sleeping with a tiger, Jiao, Silk, and Milong make people look very majestic. In the same way, etiquette outwardly makes people appear to be affectionate, peaceful and not chaotic. If everyone is based on courtesy and not on temperament, then everyone lives in peace and social harmony.
That is why the governance of the country must be honored. Based on this, for people, learning is mainly about learning etiquette, not poetry books. Therefore, Xun Zi said: "Learning evil begins? Evil ending? Yue: Its number begins with the recitation of the sutra and ends with the reading of the liturgy", and it is also known: "The sutra of learning is not as fast as the other person, and the long ceremony is secondary." The upper cannot be good, the lower cannot be long, and Ante will learn miscellaneous knowledge, and the poetry book will only be heard. Then the poor years of the last days will inevitably be just ugly Confucianism. ...... Therefore, although the Long Li is not clear, the Dharma is also the Dharma; the Non Long Li, although it is discerning, the Scattered Confucianism is also" (Xunzi Persuasion). Ugly Confucianism and scattered Confucianism are not good evaluations, and the road of ignorance only knows the allusions of the article, and the fundamental reason is that it is not polite but smooth poetry.
Fifth, clearly divide the group.
In Xunzi's view, the reason why human society is continuous and powerful is because human society is a group organized by etiquette; the monarch is a person who is good at governing this group:
Taoists, why not? A: Jundoya. King, why not? A: Noh group also. Who can also be a group, why not? A: Those who are good at giving birth to and nurturing people are also good at ruling people, those who are good at showing people are also good at setting people, and those who are good at decorating people are also good at decorating people. ("Xunzi Jundao")
However, "group" does not mean that the members of the group are uniform, but to be differentiated, so the key to the group can be organized lies in "division". What "points" rely on to embody is based on etiquette.
The force is not like an ox, and the walk is not like a horse, and the cow and horse are used, why not? A: People can be a group, but they can't be a group. How can people be a group? KEY: Points. How can it be done? A: Righteousness. ("Xunzi Royal System")
The righteous, it is advisable. It is advisable to have clear boundaries, orderly hierarchies, and differences between nobles and lows, that is, "points", which rely on Lilly to reflect.
The even is not biased, the qi is not one, and the multitude is not made. There is a difference between heaven and earth and up and down, and the Ming King is established and the state is under the system. Husbands and wives cannot do things with each other, and two unworthy people cannot do each other, but the number of days is also. If things cannot be destroyed, they must be disputed; if they are in contention, they will be chaotic, and if they are chaotic, they will be poor. The first kings were evil and chaotic, so they divided the etiquette and righteousness, so that there were rich and poor, rich and lowly, and so on, which were enough to meet each other, which was the foundation of the world. The Book says, "Vizi is not Qi. This is also true. ("Xunzi Royal System")
As a kind of "measurement demarcation", etiquette enables the group to have objective rituals and norms to follow, thus ensuring the objectivity of political society, and each performing its duties to make society rich and well governed.
Sixth, the role of etiquette.
In the book "Xunzi", the word "ritual" can be seen everywhere, standardizing all aspects of social politics. As some researchers have pointed out, Xunzi isolated the connotation of the concept of "ritual" from the specific concept of "Zhou Li" and elevated it to the highest principle of "intellectual social order". To sum up, the role of the liturgy is as follows:
First, on an individual level, etiquette is a sign of a person's basic life etiquette and upbringing.
Liturgists, the extremes of humanity. However, the lawlessness, the lack of etiquette, is called the people without the party; the legal etiquette is called the person with the right. In the midst of the ceremony, it can be thought, it is said that it can be worried; in the ceremony, it can not be easy, it is said to be solid. ("Xunzi Li Theory")
Second, at the family level, etiquette is the basic method of the Qi family.
Fatherhood? A: Generous and courteous. May I ask the Son of Man? A: Respectful and written. Brother? A: Loving and seeing friends. Brother, may I ask? A: Respectful and unruly. May I ask the husband? A: To work without flowing, to come and discern. May I ask a wife? A: If the husband is polite, he obeys the servant; if the husband is rude, he is afraid and self-righteous. This way is also, partial and chaotic, standing and ruling, and it is enough to be ridiculous. ("Xunzi Jundao")
Third, at the social level, etiquette is the basic basis for the reasonable distribution of economic prosperity.
Festivals are used for etiquette, and the people are used for government. He Yumin, therefore superfluous, Yumin is rich, the people are rich, the field is easy, and the field fertilizer is easy to produce a hundred times. The upper is taken by the law, and the lower is used by etiquette, and the remaining hills are burned from time to time, and there is nothing to be desired, and the husband and gentleman are troubled. Therefore, if you know that the festival uses Yumin, then there will be the name of benevolence, righteousness, and holiness, and there will be the accumulation of rich hills and mountains. (Xunzi Fuguo)
Fourth, at the national political level, etiquette is the basic guarantee for the monarch's subordinates to administer according to law.
May I ask you to be a gentleman? A: Divide the charity with courtesy, and do it all over the place without bias. May I ask you to be a subject? A: Treat the king with courtesy, be loyal and unremitting. ...... What about the capable? A: The ceremony of judgment also. The ancient kings judged the ceremony with Fang Huang Zhou Huan in the world, and there was no improper movement. ("Xunzi Jundao")
Finally, on the cosmic level, the ritual is the guarantee of the harmonious development of all things in the universe.
The heavens and the earth are united, the sun and the moon are bright, the four hours are in order, the stars are in order, the rivers are flowing, all things are prosperous, likes and dislikes are knotted, moods and angers are dang, thinking that the lower is smooth, thinking that the upper is bright, all things are changing and not chaotic, and the second is lost. Isn't it enough to be polite! ("Xunzi Li Theory")
It is precisely because etiquette involves many aspects of the individual, family, society, country, and universe, so etiquette is particularly important to people and plays a role in "table" to control chaos.
The waterwalker is deep and makes people not fall; the ruler of the people is chaotic and makes people without loss, and the one who is polite is also his appearance. The first king expressed the chaos of the world with etiquette and righteousness; now those who abolish the ceremony are abandoning their tables, and the people are confused and fall into trouble, and this punishment is also complicated. ("Xunzi Da Luo")
Since the rites are so important, indoctrination is embodied here, and the achievements of human learning are seen in the ceremonial places.
3. The Study of Rites and Saints and the Study of Governance
In Kong Meng,the study of the saints is a very mysterious spiritual realm, the so-called "great and transformed is sacred, holy and unknowable is the god" (Mencius, under the heart"), but in Xunzi, because its learning is mainly implemented in the ceremony, making the study of the saints mentioned by Xunzi more objective and plain, and the operability is relatively strong. In the book "Xunzi", the first five articles "Persuasion", "Self-Cultivation", "Non-Gou", "Honor and Disgrace", and "Non-Phase" are all related to the cultivation of self-cultivation, which shows the humanistic ideal of Xunzi, and the center of its self-cultivation is of course also etiquette, so it is said: "Where the art of curing qi and cultivating the heart, there is no way to be polite." (Xunzi Slimming)
In this way, Xunzi's persuasion and its learning are also effective in the ceremonial place, "Therefore, those who learn also learn the ritual law" (Xunzi Persuasion). Even the saints are seen by the rites, and Xunzi believes that the number (method) of learning "finally reads the rites", and the righteousness is "the ultimate saint", and the gai saint is the one who is skilled and strives to practice the ritual. Of course, the saint is an ideal model, which is difficult to achieve, but as long as you study and practice and concentrate on it, you will definitely go deeper. Regarding the concentration on the study and practice of the rites, Xunzi believes that this is the condition for the production of saints:
This is out of the ordinary. What is one? A: Clinging to God and being fixed. What is God? A: The one who is perfectly ruled is God, the one who is not enough to pour out is god, and the one who is solid is a saint. (Xunzi Confucian Effect)
"God" is the person who can govern the country in the best way, and nothing can overturn this belief, that is, "solid", and the person who is both god and solid is a saint, and all this depends on the concentration on the study and practice of etiquette. It can be seen that in Xunzi," the saints relied on external learning, "Now the people of Tu are to learn, concentrate on one's own mind, ponder and observe, add a long time to the county, accumulate goodness without stopping, then pass through the gods, and participate in the heavens and the earth." Therefore, in Xunzi's view, there is only one way to learn "to learn more and more", and there can be no way to "lose more and more for the sake of the Tao".
Therefore, those who have a teacher of the Fa are also the great treasures of man; those who do not have a teacher of the Fa are also greatly harmed by man. Man has no teacher's law, and there is a teacher's law, and the teacher's law is accumulated, and the teacher's dharma, what he gains, is not what he receives, and is not enough to rule independently. Sex is also what I cannot do, but it can be transformed into also. The accumulator is not owned by me, but it can also be. (Xunzi Confucian Effect)
"Accumulation" is the addition, that is, "for the sake of learning more and more", the role of the teacher is all reflected in the "accumulation" here. Xun Zi said, "Therefore, if you do not accumulate steps, you will not be able to go a thousand miles; if you do not accumulate small streams, you will not be able to become a river and a sea." Qi Ji cannot take ten steps in one leap; ten horses are driven, and the merit is not abandoned" ("Xunzi Persuasion") as a metaphor, which is to emphasize the importance of "accumulation". What is the product? A: Take the ritual as the accumulation. "In the midst of the ceremony, it can be thought, and it is said that it can be worried; in the midst of the ceremony, it can not be easy, and it can be said to be solid." Can be considered and solidified, plus the good, the sage. (Xunzi Li theory) Xunzi uses the ritual as a base and speaks of saints in the way of "learning more and more", which is indeed unique.
One of the peculiarities of this is that the holy one has shifted from the inside to the outside, from the study of the inner saint and the outer king, which is cultivated from the root of man's own virtue, to the study of governance based purely on the external rites. This recognition of the study of saints by Xunzi made Wang Enyang directly equate Xunzi with Western thinkers such as Hobbes and Locke in the Case of Xunzi Studies. We know that the democratic politics of the West has gradually developed in the thinking of Hobbes, Locke and others, which means that Xunzi's thought has the possibility of developing into democratic politics, because Xunxue, as the study of governance, is precisely to seek objectivity and operability with "etiquette", which should be the most worthy of the value of Xunzi's learning in modern society, Liang Tao and other scholars advocate the integration of MengXun, and even put forward the theory of "New Four Books" (with "Analects", "Mencius", "Liji", "Xunzi" as the four books), It is based on the objective spirit of Xunzi's learning. Of course, in reality, the study of Xunzi not only did not develop into democratic politics, but also opened up the authoritarian politics of the Legalists, covering the lack of a transcendent spirit of its religious nature.
FOURTH, Xunzi thought and religion transcendence
Xun Zi's overly experienced academic character made him completely unable to open the path of holy testimony, and everything came from observational argumentation. Man lives in the world of experience, and words and arguments are indispensable, but as a rational being, man cannot but pursue transcendence and sacredness, so the holy evidence is also indispensable. Those who can open the path of holy testimony do not deny the religious nature of heaven; those who cannot open the path of holy testimony but only have the path of justification must understand heaven as an object of knowledge rather than an object of religion, as is the case with XunZi's Treatise on Heaven. We know that Confucius and Mencius believed in heaven, but they did not discuss heaven in a special chapter, because heaven is in the action of their holy testimony, and man must also obtain it in the action of holy testimony. But Xunzi is completely in speech and argument about heaven, and will inevitably pull down this religious existence of heaven into an intellectual existence.
Rain and rain, why not? A: There is no he, but there is no rain. The eclipse of the sun and the moon save it, the drought and the sun, and then decide on great things, not to think that they have to ask for it, but also to wenzhi. Therefore the gentleman thinks of the text, and the people think of God. I thought that Wen Zeji thought that God was fierce. (Xunzi Tian' Treatise)
The sacrifice for the rain now seems to belong to the category of witchcraft or superstition, and Xunzi thinks that this is just a literary and political affair, and it is not sacred at all, and it may not really be fulfilled by doing so, and Xunzi hopes to dissolve the sacredness of heaven in this way. In fact, the heavens that Kong Meng said were never said in this sense. In Kong Meng, heaven and man are ultimate beings that can be reached interchangeably, and man begins with a reverence for them, but eventually he will be able to open up his inner power and become intimate with them, which is the result of the holy testimony. However, Xunzi only sees heaven as a powerful thing, and its power is strange because it is incomprehensible, but it does not have to be feared because of fear, which is a natural phenomenon between heaven and earth. Xunzi dissolved the religious nature of heaven, and established a humanistic heaven for people, the ritual, and The whole humanistic world of Xunzi was established by this.
Xun Zi severed the connection between man and heaven, and the religious nature was completely retreated, although he revived the humanistic heaven- the unity of etiquette and righteousness, but because the unity of etiquette and righteousness was completely a necessary construction of a flat intellectual governance, and without the shock and illumination of sacredness, man's sense of piety must not be threatened. If the sense of piety is absent, how can the rituals as the way of the lady have power in people?
Xun Zi said: "If there is a back and no first, then the masses have no door." Xunzi obviously takes the ritual as the guide in the front, and the law is the punishment in the back, and only after the ritual arouses people's sense of piety can people enter the door of civilization, relying purely on the punishment of the law, and must not let people enter the door of civilization. It can be seen that Xunzi also knows that the sense of piety is very important for the civilization of society, but Xunzi's experiential character does not allow the existence of religion, and the sense of piety has become a sourceless water in him.
Fifth, the possibility of Xunzi going to the Fa
When Confucianism dissolves the inner sacred religion and administers purely from the outer king, it understands politics as an external system and facility, thus ensuring the objectivity and effectiveness of politics, and when the absolute power of the monarch is not limited, the objectivity and effectiveness of this politics are often reduced to the absolute authority and control of the monarch over politics. This indicates that Confucianism is moving closer to the Dharma, and Xunzi's thought on ritual rule has this tendency:
The sight of the eyes and ears is as narrow as it is; the guardian of the Lord of Man, as it is its breadth, cannot be ignorant of it; if it is its danger. But how will the Lord know? A: The reason why the Lord of Man peeks into the portal of the distant masses must be untouched. The Lord of the Dead man will surely have a stool left and right enough believers to be able to do it, and his contentment will be enough to make the rules, and his end will be enough to make the things then possible. Fu is the state of the country. ("Xunzi Jundao")
When we read the above passage, we feel that we are reading Han Feizi, and the appearance of such words in the writings of a generation of Confucian masters XunZi is surprising and impossible to understand. There are always some villains around the kings of later generations, who corrupt politics, but they can win the trust of the king, and even the Jinyi guards of the Ming Dynasty can find some shadows here.
However, Xunzi does not have a religious, vertical three-dimensional world, only a layer of empirical world, and there is no development and supply of the source of strength in this world, so man and the world cannot live in a consistent way, but can only take refuge in empirical methods and measures. This spirit of step-by-step fortification, suffering from gain and loss, to his disciples Li Si and Han Fei, was transformed into the compulsion of the Fa and the punishment of punishment, and thus the Fa family was born. Although XunZi did not belong to the Fa family, his thoughts did have the possibility of going to the Fa family, and in fact, his disciples had already gone to the Fa family.
But Xun Zi was, after all, a well-informed scholar with realistic political enthusiasm and responsibility, and he hoped to pursue goodness through the arrangement of the formal system of etiquette, rather than exerting the evil of human nature to the extreme, as his disciple Han Fei did, and even deeply understanding the dark side of human nature. Xun zi Guchang said that sex is evil, but shang only speaks on the level of instinct to "hunger and desire to be full, cold and warm, hard and desire to rest" ("Xunzi Sexual Evil"). Although this instinctive feeling is not all good, it is not a great evil, and as long as it is properly guided by the Confucian teaching of liturgy, it can also be faced squarely and must be affirmed.
"However, from the nature of man, from the feelings of others, he will return to violence out of contention, and to commit the crime of chaos." Therefore, there will be the transformation of the teacher's law, the way of etiquette and righteousness, and then out of resignation, in accordance with the literary reason, and return to the rule. (Xunzi Sexual Evil) "Out of resignation, in accordance with the literary reason, and in the rule of governance", it is not to ignore the hunger, cold, and labor of people, but to use the ethical way to dissolve hunger, cold, and labor and universally love the world. At this moment, the desire of disposition is to give way to the teachings of liturgy, and this "concession" to human beings is not only necessary but also possible, although its path may be forced. Therefore, Xunzi's theory is ultimately warm and hopeful, so Xunzi is ultimately a Confucian rather than a Dharma.
It can be seen from this that Confucianism should give play to its due value in today's society, and the study of Confucius and Mencius with religious spirit and the study of Xunzi with objective spirit should not be abandoned, and as for how to carry forward their respective strengths, it is precisely the task and direction of the research of scholars today.
Sixth, the issue of the version of "Xunzi"
The earliest person to annotate xunzi was Yang Liang of the Tang Dynasty, and later engravings basically honored Yang's annotations. Since the Song Dynasty, there are three most famous inscriptions of "Xunzi", first, song Taizhou ben: the first engraving of "Xunzi" is the Engraving of Lü Xiaqing Guozi during the Ningxi period of the Northern Song Dynasty, and later there is the Song Taizhou Ben, that is, the translation of the Ning Xi Ben, and during the Guangxu period, Yang Shoujing also engraved the Taizhou Ben as one of the Ancient Yi series. 2. Shidetang Ben: Ming Jiajing's twelfth year Gu Chunji, Shidetang's "Book of the Six Sons". 3. Jiashan Xie Clan Inscription: Qianlong Fifty-two Years Xie Yong and Lu Baojing Combined School Edition. This is one of the most popular and easily available engravings.
During the Guangxu period, the Hubei Chongshu Bureau engraved the "Hundred Sons Quanshu", and the Zhejiang Bookstore engraved the "Twenty-two Sons Quanshu", which was engraved by The Xie family. Modern people annotated "Xunzi", which is also based on the Jiashan Xie clan inscription. Wang Xianqian, a scholar from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, wrote "Xunzi Collection Interpretation", which is the most complete proofreading and annotation book so far. This book is based on the Jiashan Xie's inscription, with reference to Shen Xiaohuan and Wang Xingxian's Wang Xianqian's "Xunzi Collection Interpretation" published by zhonghua bookstore, and if there is any word that needs further correction, refer to other ancient engravings, as well as contemporary proofreading and annotated books.
In October 2019, Yuelu Book Club published an anthology of "Xunzi" that I guided, annotated and translated, and compiled a total of 16 articles. This time, the whole book of "Xunzi" was published, with a total of 32 articles, which is of course more helpful for readers to grasp Xunzi's thoughts as a whole. Special thanks are given to Mr. Liu Shuqiao, the young editor of Yuelu Book Club, who is humble and sincere, erudite and thoughtful, and the selection and publication of the entire edition of "Xunzi" were published through his editing and proofreading. I would like to express my deep gratitude.
My knowledge is limited, and there must be many omissions and errors, please criticize and correct the readers.
Zhang Wanlin is on the shore of Qinhu Lake at Xiangtan University
August 2021