Xun Zi Quotes

Xunzi , born Xun Kuang , was a Chinese philosopher of Confucianism during the late Warring States period. After his predecessors Confucius and Mencius, Xunzi is often ranked as the third great Confucian philosopher of antiquity. By his time, Confucianism had suffered considerable criticism from Daoist and Mohist thinkers, and Xunzi is traditionally regarded as a synthesizer of these traditions with earlier Confucian thought. The result was a thorough and cohesive revision of Confucianism, which was crucial to the philosophy's ability to flourish in the Han dynasty and throughout the later history of East Asia. His works were compiled in the eponymous Xunzi, and survive in excellent condition. Unlike other ancient compilations, his authorship of these texts is generally secure, though it is likely that Western Han Dynasty historian Liu Xiang organized them into their present form centuries after Xunzi's death.Born in the State of Zhao, Xunzi studied at the prestigious Jixia Academy, where he learned about every major philosophical tradition of his time. After his graduation, Xunzi traveled to Chu where he mastered poetry, and then returned to Qi as a highly-regarded teacher at the academy. His students Han Fei and Li Si each had an important political and academic careers, though some of their Legalist sentiments were at odds with his philosophy. Other students such as Fuqiu Bo, Zhang Cang and Mao Heng authored important editions and commentaries on the Confucian classics. Later in his life worked in the court of Lord Chunshen, whose death he died sometime after. The constant warfare of his time informed his work profoundly, as did his interactions with leaders and witnessing the downfall of various states.

Xunzi's writings respond to dozens of other thinkers, whom he often directly names and criticizes. His well-known notion that "Human nature is evil" has led many commentators to place him opposite of Mencius, who believed human nature was intrinsically good. Though like Mencius, Xunzi believed that education and ritual were the key to self-cultivation and thus the method to circumvent one's naturally foul nature. His definition of both concepts was loose, and he encouraged lifelong education and applied ritual to every aspect of life. Other important topics include the promotion of music and the careful application of names. Though he still cited the ancient sages, he differed from other Confucian philosophers by his insistence on emulating recent rulers rather than those of long ago. Repeated oversimplifications and misunderstandings on Xunzi's teachings, particularly his view on human nature, led to gradual dismissal and condemnation of his thought from the Tang dynasty onwards. By the rise of Neo-Confucianism in the 10th-century, Mencius gradually upended Xunzi, particularly by the choice to include the Mencius in the Four Books. Since the 20th-century, a reevaluation of Xunzi's doctrine has taken place in East Asia, leading to recognition of his profound impact and relevance to both his times and present day. Wikipedia

✵ 313 BC – 238 BC

Xun Zi photo

Xun Zi: 13 quotes 2 likes

Famous Xun Zi Quotes

“Learning proceeds until death and only then does it stop. … Its purpose cannot be given up for even a moment. To pursue it is to be human, to give it up to be a beast.”

Xun Zi

Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (2001), p. 258
An Exhortation to Learning

“One whose intentions and thoughts are cultivated will disregard wealth and nobility. One whose greatest concern is for the Way and righteousness will take lightly kings and dukes. It is simply that when one examines oneself on the inside, external goods carry little weight. A saying goes, "The gentleman makes things his servants. The petty man is servant to things."”

Xun Zi

Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (2001), p. 263
A similar phrase to the saying is found in the 3rd millennium BCE Sumerian text Instructions of Shuruppak by Šuruppak: "You should not serve things; things should serve you." http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr561.htm
"Cultivating oneself"

“A person who is shallow aspires to depth; one who is ugly aspires to beauty; one who is narrow aspires to breadth; one who is poor aspires to wealth; one who is humble aspires to esteem. Whatever one lacks in oneself he must seek outside.”

Xun Zi

Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999), vol. 1, p. 181
Human nature is evil

“A questioner asks: If human nature is evil, then where do ritual and rightness come from? I reply: ritual and rightness are always created by the conscious activity of the sages.”

Xun Zi

Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999), vol. 1, p. 180
Human nature is evil

“The person attempting to travel two roads at once will get nowhere.”

Xun Zi

Quoted in: Errick A. Ford (2010) Iron Sharpens Iron: Wisdom of the Ages, p. 48.

“The straightening board was created because of warped wood, and the plumb line came into being because of things that are not straight. Rulers are established and ritual and rightness are illuminated because the nature is evil.”

Xun Zi

Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999), vol. 1, p. 182
Human nature is evil

Xun Zi Quotes about nature

“Human nature is evil, and goodness is caused by intentional activity.”

Xun Zi

Quoted in: Fayek S. Hourani (2012) Daily Bread for Your Mind and Soul, p. 336.

“A person who is transformed by the instructions of a teacher, devotes himself to study, and abides by ritual and rightness may become a noble person, while one who follows his nature and emotions, is content to give free play to his passions, and abandons ritual and rightness is a lesser person.”

Xun Zi

Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999), vol. 1, p. 180
Human nature is evil

“Human nature is evil; its goodness derives from conscious activity. Now it is human nature to be born with a fondness for profit. Indulging this leads to contention and strife, and the sense of modesty and yielding with which one was born disappears. One is born with feelings of envy and hate, and, by indulging these, one is led into banditry and theft, so that the sense of loyalty and good faith with which he was born disappears. One is born with the desires of the ears and eyes and with a fondness for beautiful sights and sounds, and, by indulging these, one is led to licentiousness and chaos, so that the sense of ritual, rightness, refinement, and principle with which one was born is lost. Hence, following human nature and indulging human emotions will inevitably lead to contention and strife, causing one to rebel against one’s proper duty, reduce principle to chaos, and revert to violence. Therefore one must be transformed by the example of a teacher and guided by the way of ritual and rightness before one will attain modesty and yielding, accord with refinement and ritual, and return to order.”

Xun Zi

Sources of Chinese Tradition (1999), vol. 1, pp. 179-180
Human nature is evil

Xun Zi Quotes

“In order to properly understand the big picture, everyone should fear becoming mentally clouded and obsessed with one small section of truth.”

Xun Zi

Quoted in: Joan Klostermann-Ketels (2011) HumaniTrees, p. 96.

Truth , Fear , Understanding

“The learning of the gentleman enters through his ears, fastens to his heart, spreads through his four limbs, and manifests itself in his actions. … The learning of the petty person enters through his ears and passes out his mouth. From mouth to ears is only four inches—how could it be enough to improve a whole body much larger than that?”

Xun Zi

Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (2001), p. 259
An Exhortation to Learning

Learning , Heart , Personality

“If an action … involves little profit but much righteousness, do it.”

Xun Zi

Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (2001), p. 263
"Cultivating oneself"

“The gentleman knows that whatever is imperfect and unrefined does not deserve praise. … He makes his eyes not want to see what is not right, makes his ears not want to hear what is not right, makes his mouth not want to speak what is not right, and makes his heart not want to deliberate over what is not right. … For this reason, power and profit cannot sway him, the masses cannot shift him, and nothing in the world can shake him.”

Xun Zi

Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy (2001), p. 260
An Exhortation to Learning

World , Heart

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