Sun Jiazhou | Xunzi's place in the Confucian system

Editor's note: Xun Zi was a famous thinker, educator, and writer of the late Warring States period, a native of the Zhao Dynasty (born in the Yi clan of the Zhao Kingdom, present-day Xi'anze, Shanxi). In the controversy of a hundred schools at the end of the Warring States period, Xunzi inherited the Yuxu of Kong meng, gathered the great achievements of the sons, opened up the new style of Confucianism, and created the exclusive Xunxue, thus laying its immortal position in the history of the development of ancient Chinese culture. At the recent "First China (Shanxi?) At the "Anze) Xunzi Cultural Festival High-level Forum", the experts and scholars attending the meeting had an in-depth discussion on Xunzi's life, deeds, thoughts and their influence, and put forward valuable suggestions on how to further deepen the study of Xunzi and improve the level of Xunzi research. Here, we have selected several abstracts of papers and conference reviews from this conference to serve the vast number of readers who care about Xunxue.

The position of Xunzi in the Confucian system

Sun Jiazhou

Xun Zi was a Confucian master of the Warring States period and one of the most scholarly and socially influential thinkers of his time. The Chronicle of Mencius, Vol. 74, records: "When King Qi Xiang was king, Xun Qing was the most teacher. Qi Shangxiu was short of doctors, and Xun Qingsan was sacrificed to wine. The Jixia Xuegong is undoubtedly the academic center of the Warring States " Hundred Schools of Thought", and the representative figures who uphold the various schools of thought gather together to speak highly and write books and doctrines, providing a rare academic platform for the pre-Qin Thought to shift from free contention to eclectic integration. As the academic leader of the late Minoru Gakuen, Xunzi's contribution to advancing this process should be fully recognized by future generations. Although the "Biography of Meng Xun lie" records the deeds of Xunzi quite briefly, it is full of respect for Xunzi. However, after the establishment of the Confucian concept of "Taoism", Xunzi was long excluded from the mainstream system of Confucianism of the "Way of Confucius and Mencius", and even had to endure some distortions, misunderstandings and criticisms. Therefore, how to establish Xunzi's position in the Confucian system is still a topic of academic significance.

Xunzi had considerable respect for Confucius, but sharp criticism of Mencius and his school. In a sense, he had the will to make himself the true successor of Confucius. In terms of the social influence at that time, the possibility of the coexistence of the "Way of Confucius and Mencius" and the "Way of Kong Xun" existed. In the case of Xunzi? According to a message conveyed by yaoqing, there was a group of worshippers of Xunzi at that time, who even thought that Xunzi was a "saint", even compared with Confucius. "For the speaker: 'Sun Qing (i.e., Xunzi) is inferior to Confucius.'" Not really. Sun Qing was forced into a chaotic world,...... When it is, the knower shall not worry, the able shall not rule, and the wise shall not make. Therefore the king is hidden from sight, and the wise are not allowed to be separated. However, Sun Qing cherished the heart of the saint, was blinded by madness, and regarded the world as foolish. The poem says: 'Be wise and philosophical, in order to protect himself.' This is also true. It is because of its reputation that it is not white, it is not popular, and its brilliance is not broad. Today's scholars, with Sun Qing's last words and remaining teachings, are enough to serve as a French instrument in the world. The god who exists, the one who has passed, and the good deeds that have been observed, Confucius has lived. The world does not look at it, the cloud is not a saint, why not! The world is not ruled, and Sun Qing does not meet the time. The reverence for Xunzi expressed in it is no less than the admiration of Confucius by Yan Yuan, Zigong and others, and it seems that Mencius did not have such a "hardcore" follower.

By the Tang Dynasty, Han Yuchangming's "Taoist system" said that after Mencius's death, The Taoist system "could not be passed on", which not only showed the tendency to honor Meng and degrade Xun, but also excluded Xunzi from the orthodox system of Confucianism. During the heyday of Song Dynasty theory, Xunzi was more degraded than ever, and Zhu Xi even told his disciples that they could ignore Xunzi.

If we trace the process of this change, we can find that xunzi once had a higher status before the formation of the "Tao unification theory". The influence of the book Xunzi in the Han Dynasty is unquestionable. Han Gaozu and Guanzhong's father and elder "Three Chapters of the Covenant" said: "The murderer dies, injures people and commits theft." "Not only is this? It is a summary of the lessons of the fall of Qin, and it has its ideological origins. "Xunzi? The Treatise on orthodoxy says: "The murderer dies, and the wounded are punished, which is the same as the hundred kings." This shows that there is an influence of Xunzi thought in Han Gaozu's ideological concepts. During the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xu, the King of Guangling, colluded with the King of Chu for rebellion, and when the incident occurred, the ministers asked for punishment. Emperor Xuan of Han, because he was related to Liu Xu, could not bear to cause the Fa, and single-handedly rebuked the evil King of Chu. The reason for this is: "In the midst of the fluff, it does not straighten itself; the white sand is in the mud, and it is black." (Historia? Three Kings Family") and "Xunzi? According to the Exhortation Chapter, "In the midst of the ponygm, it is not straight; the white sand is in nirvana, and it is black." This also proves the extensive influence of the book Xunzi in the Han Dynasty.

However, the criticism of Xunzi also appeared in the Han Dynasty. Yang Xiong, who was at the turn of the two Han Dynasties, is a representative figure who criticized Xun Zi, and he wrote in the "Fa Yan? The Gentleman says: "Or: 'Sun Qing is not the book of several families, also; as for Zi Si and Meng Ke, it is strange!' "I am from Sun Qing, and I am the same door as the one who sees the same house, but the saint is not different." Since the Tang and Song dynasties, the voice of criticism has been even more incessant. Why, then, can the historical criticism of Xunzi and Xunxue last so long and with such sharp views? In my opinion, there are three reasons. First of all, Xunzi's public criticism of the Confucian camp, including Zisi and Mencius, made it impossible for later Generations of Confucians to shelve the "Mengxun opposition" . Secondly, some of Xunzi's assertions or formulations are indeed different from the way of Confucius and Mencius, such as his view of historical evolution, the theory of sexual evil, and the theory of honoring the emperor and long etiquette, which have historical gains and losses for Confucius's doctrine and reflect the requirements of the times. Third, there are also various misunderstandings of Xunzi by later generations. For example, some people accuse Xunzi of emphasizing the idea of "honoring the king" as violating the Confucian way of kings and subjects, and there is an element of misunderstanding in it.

In general, the position of Xunzi in the Confucian system can be understood from the following three aspects:

1. Xunxue has the spirit of academic criticism and the awareness of inclusiveness, which reflects the historical trend of the Warring States Hundred Schools of Thought towards academic integration. No matter from which point of view, "Xunzi? The academic history and intellectual history value of the Non-Twelve Sons should be explored.

2. Xunzi's teaching of Confucian classics was very important. Confucianism in the Han Dynasty not only derived "etiquette" from Xunxue, but also "poetic classics" and even "Spring and Autumn Studies" were related to Xunxue. Qing Ru Wangzhong's "General Theory of Xun Qingzi" believes that "xunqing's learning is due to Kong's family, and it is especially credited to the sutras", and has made a detailed examination of Xunzi's "transmission of the scriptures", which is basically agreed by scholars who study the history of classics. The contemporary Confucian Xu Fuguan also highly praised the position of Xunzi in the history of scripture.

3. Xunzi pays close attention to the changes in the real world and is full of the spirit of merit. Xun Zi lectured on Qi, Shi Eunuch in Chu, Soldier in Zhao, Government in Yan, and Customs in Qin, and the influence on society at that time was not under Kong Meng. Confucius did not enter the Qin, but Xunzi praised Qin zheng and Qin customs, while at the same time criticizing his "no Confucianism". This shows that under the premise of adhering to the basic beliefs of Confucianism, he is still striving to expand the political space of Confucianism. Pitching between politics and scholarship, the pragmatic spirit embodied by Xunzi should be the object of the Han Dynasty Confucian Emperor Dong Zhongshu. They all contributed to the adaptation of Confucianism to the environment of the times and to the search for new developments.

(The author is executive vice dean of the National College of Chinese University)