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Chapter 324: Confucian Outliers Xunzi

Han Fei was a student of Xunzi, but when it comes to Xunzi, his presence doesn't seem to be very strong.

Although they are both one of the three giants of Confucianism, people often hear about the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, but rarely hear of the name of Xunzi.

However, when it comes to the construction of the social system of later dynasties, Xunzi had the greatest influence, and it is not an exaggeration to call him the designer of the feudal dynasty.

Xunzi first studied Confucianism and then Legalism, and eventually became a master of both Confucianism and Legalism, becoming a great teacher of his generation.

His theory that human nature is evil is thought-provoking, in sharp contrast to Mencius' theory that human nature is good, and has a profound impact on the development of later dynasties.

As the last sage of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Xunzi was the culmination of the Hundred Schools of Thought and a guide for the historical development of the unified dynasty.

"The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period was not only a time of war and chaos, but also a time when male hormones were rampant."

"The men who lived in that era were full of blood and desire for conquest, and their thinking was extremely profound."

"They either worship the use of force, are keen on killing and conquering, and constantly create new miracles of war."

"Or they just use their brains desperately, and a large number of saint-level thinkers emerge."

"Xunzi was from Zhao, a descendant of the nobility, and his hometown was in Anze County, Shanxi Province."

"Xunzi's life generally has several characteristics. The first is that he lived a very long time."

"In fact, several Confucian masters lived to a very old age. For example, Confucius lived to be 73, and Mencius lived to be 84."

"Although there is no accurate record of Xunzi's life span in history books, a comprehensive analysis of the archaeological materials related to his life suggests that he must have been at least 70 or 80 years old."

"And Xunzi refuses to admit old age, and his mentality is always young."

"He once said that although he was old and not as healthy as he used to be, his intelligence and judgment were still the same as when he was young."

"Xunzi's second characteristic is that he can make a lot of trouble. He has been to many places."

"Confucius and Mencius also traveled around the world, but their activities were basically limited to Shandong and Henan provinces."

"However, Xunzi has been to Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao and Qin. It can be said that his range of activities is very wide."

"The wider his range of activities and the longer his life span, the more things Xunzi experienced."

"So, the third characteristic of Xunzi's life is that he encountered too many bad things."

"He experienced almost all the major historical events in the late Warring States period. It can even be said that wherever Xunzi went, something big happened."

"By the time when Xunzi lived, the Warring States period had reached a fever pitch, and people and things had lost all sense of morality."

"So these major historical events were extremely bloody and horrific, full of the ugliness and distortion of human nature, which gave Xunzi a deeper understanding and knowledge of the essence of human nature."

Liu Che: Xunzi's greatest success was his mastery of both Confucianism and Legalism, and he was most proud of his three proud disciples: Han Fei, Li Si and Zhang Cang.

After decades of ups and downs in officialdom, Xunzi gained a deeper understanding of Legalist theory and became a master of both Confucianism and Legalism.

Han Fei, Li Si, Zhang Cang and others came to Xunzi to become his disciples and learn his profound Confucian and Legalist theories.

Han Fei became the master of Legalism and the most proud disciple of Xunzi. He wrote the Legalist masterpiece "Han Feizi".

Han Fei studied Xunzi's theory most deeply and understood it most completely.

Under the guidance of his teacher, Han Fei came up with a new theory about whether human nature is evil or good, which is that human nature is beneficial.

Han Fei believed that human nature has both good and evil, and that good and evil are one and the same.

From different perspectives, good and evil can interchange positions; the only thing that remains unchanged is human nature’s pursuit of profit.

The difference between good and evil in human nature is just a matter of benefit. We should encourage people to do good and stop them from doing evil.

Li Si assisted Qin Shi Huang in unifying the world and became a famous prime minister.

In the war for Qin to unify the world, Li Si's role was equivalent to that of Xiao He and Zhang Liang combined.

Li Si learned the most comprehensive practical skills from Xunzi, and governing the country was Li Si's forte.

Li Si was able to decide all Qin affairs, big or small, according to the law and make judgments based on precedents, quickly and accurately.

Li Si's ability in government administration was outstanding, except for his poor military skills.

Li Si was proficient in planning strategies, recruiting soldiers, storing grain, and issuing orders, and he was always able to handle all government affairs accurately.

Zhang Cang played a crucial role in the Han Dynasty's inheritance of the Qin system. He restored most of the Qin Dynasty's systems.

Zhang Cang became a disciple of Xunzi and served as the censor of the Qin Empire, in charge of various documents and archives in the palace.

After the establishment of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Cang successively served as Prime Minister of Dai and Prime Minister of Zhao.

Zhang Cang helped Emperor Gaozu to suppress the rebellion of Prince of Yan, and was promoted to Marquis of Beiping by Emperor Gaozu.

He took over as prime minister after Guan Ying's death during the reign of Emperor Wen, but later retired voluntarily due to different political views.

"The first bad thing that Xunzi experienced was the Zizhi Rebellion in Yan State."

"In his twenties, Xunzi began to go out to look for opportunities, and traveled all the way from the Loess Plateau to Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei."

"Although the King of Yan admired Xunzi very much, he did not use him very much."

"The King of Yan is like Duke Xiang of Song in the Spring and Autumn Period. He is a nerd who likes to study retro things."

"King Xuan of Qi saw that King Yan was living a good life, so he sent Su Dai to deceive him."

"Under Su Dai's persuasion, the King of Yan began to think about abdicating his power."

"I also want to follow the example of the ancient kings like Yao and Shun and pass the throne to Prime Minister Zizhi, so that I can leave a good name for myself through the ages."

"But the Crown Prince was not happy with what the Prince of Yan did, so the tragic Zizhi Rebellion broke out."

"When Qi saw that the deception was effective, it joined forces with Zhongshan to attack Yan, killing it endlessly and almost destroying it."

"Xunzi witnessed the whole process of the incident and was deeply saddened."

"He also tried to persuade the King of Yan not to act recklessly, but good words cannot persuade a damned ghost."

"Han Fei, a student of Xunzi, spoke up for his teacher. He lamented that the King of Yan believed that Xunzi was wise and denied his teacher, so he was killed."

"The second major event that Xunzi experienced was the Five Kingdoms' attack on Qi."

"After leaving Yan, Xunzi went to Qi and went to the Jixia Academy to discuss academic matters with famous scholars from all over the world."

"After a series of heated debates, Xunzi emerged as the chief expert, or Jijiu."

"Xunzi's eloquence was unrivaled in that era. He spoke quickly, his words were clear, his logic was rigorous, and he cited a lot of references. His arguments were linked together and made it impossible to refute them."

"I once argued with an old student so hard that he had a heart attack. That was pretty brutal."

"Another time, it is said that Xunzi got drunk and criticized Mencius, saying that he was the true successor of Confucius."

"Xunzi served as the chief academic officer of the Jixia Academy three times in his life. He was the most powerful academic master and debate expert of his time."

"When Xunzi first came to Qi, the king of Qi was the one who liked to listen to solo performances in the story of the fake Yu player."

"The King of Qi is indeed a man with a lot of ideas. He has fought wars everywhere, conquered the whole world, and even wanted to destroy Zhou and become the emperor."

"After three generations of wise rulers, Duke Huan of Qi, King Wei of Qi, and King Xuan of Qi, Qi State reached the peak of its national strength and became a powerful state for a time."

"The King of Qi first launched the Chuisha Campaign, severely beating the State of Chu and making it his younger brother."

"Then they joined forces with Han and Wei to beat Qin violently, destroyed Qin's Hangu Pass, and forced Qin to cede territory and seek peace."

"Then he beat up the State of Yan, attacked the State of Han, and annexed the State of Song."

"After annexing the most fertile land in the world, Qi State suddenly became a superpower that overpowered Qin State, and the world presented a situation of one superpower and many strong powers."

"The King of Qi was really arrogant at that time. If you listened to him, he would beat you. If you didn't listen to him, he would also beat you."

"But because he was too domineering, he was finally attacked by the five countries."

"The State of Qi was almost destroyed, and the King of Qi was killed."

"After this turmoil, the Jixia Academy was disbanded, and Xunzi had no choice but to flee Qi."

"Because he had a good relationship with Huang Xie, the Lord of Chu, Xunzi joined Huang Xie and became his retainer."

"With the help of Huang Xie's influence, Xunzi also had the opportunity to meet more celebrities in Chu State."

"He also investigated the politics, culture, economy, customs and practices of the Chu State, laying the foundation for his future governance in Nanling."

Li Shimin: Although the teachings of Confucius and Mencius were highly praised by emperors of all dynasties, the real ruling ideology was Xunzi's Confucianism on the outside and Legalism on the inside.

When he was young, Xunzi went to Qi State to study and learn the teachings of Confucius.

He debated with other scholars at the Jixia Academy and learned from the strengths of various schools of thought.

As a result, the thought gradually formed its own system, but it still belonged to the scope of Confucianism.

The central idea of ​​Confucius is benevolence, the central idea of ​​Mencius is righteousness, and Xunzi proposed rites and laws after them.

Xunzi regarded Confucius as a sage and opposed Mencius' philosophical thoughts, believing that he was the scholar who inherited Confucius' thoughts.

Mencius took righteousness as his banner, occupied the moral high ground, and put forward the theory that human nature is good.

It is believed that the four virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom are inherent in every human being.

Mencius also said that it is indeed impossible to judge whether water flows east or west, but water must flow downwards and will never flow upwards.

Human nature is kind. As for those who are not kind, it is not because they are born evil, but because of the acquired environment.

Xunzi learned from the strengths of various schools of thought at the Jixia Academy. Although he mainly followed the ideas of Confucius, he still modified them in light of actual conditions.

By observing human nature, we come to the conclusion that human nature is evil.

Xunzi believed that so-called human nature is human nature.

Xunzi believed that people’s desire for material life is in conflict with moral and etiquette norms, so human nature is evil, not good.

Xunzi's theory of human nature being evil was recognized by other schools of thought, but was criticized by Confucianists, who believed that Xunzi was a heretic.

The criticism from Confucian scholars made Xunzi feel very confused. The ideological pain made him decide to visit Qin State in the hope of gaining enlightenment.

In the era when Xunzi lived, Qin was already the most powerful country in the world, and was known as the Western and Eastern Emperors together with Qi.

Unlike Qi, Qin did not promote private schools.

However, many elites went to Qin to serve and achieved good results.

The Qin State used Legalist thought as its governing philosophy, emphasizing practicality in everything and not liking empty talk of theories.

Legalism is the most powerful rival of Confucianism. Under the glory of Legalism, Confucian scholars simply cannot control the country.

As a result, they could only delve deeply into the theories of human nature and state governance, which gradually became detached from reality and became illusory.

Xunzi went to Qin in order to seek inspiration from the opposing group, the Legalists, in order to achieve ideological sublimation.

Facts have proved that Xunzi's decision was very correct.

It was because Xunzi went to Qin and saw everything in Qin that he gained a deeper understanding of the Legalist theory and became a master of both Confucianism and Legalism.

"278 AD, the sixth year of King Xiang of Qi."

"Tian Dan used the Fire Bull Formation to defeat the Yan army and recover the lost territory. The Qi State finally regained some of its vitality."

"King Xiang of Qi quickly gathered the lost scholars and prepared to reopen the Jixia Academy. Xunzi also returned to Qi from Chu."

"As soon as Xunzi left, the State of Chu suffered a great disaster."

"After Qin general Bai Qi flooded the city, drowning hundreds of thousands of civilians."

"They also captured the capital, burned down the ancestral temple of Chu, and occupied half of Chu's territory."

"The great poet Qu Yuan also felt that the Chu State was doomed, so he jumped into the river and committed suicide."

"Since Qi had also experienced the disaster of national destruction and family ruin, Xunzi wanted very much to display his talents in Qi and change its national destiny."

"But after Xunzi presented his political ideas to King Xiang of Qi, the other party was not interested at all."

"The facts have proven that King Xiang of Qi was indeed a mediocre person and did not accomplish anything great in his life."

"But he still respected Xunzi very much, appointed him as a Qing official, and asked him to preside over the reconstruction and restoration of the Jixia Academy."

"This period was the most important moment in Xunzi's life, and it was also the stage when his thoughts and theories gradually matured."

"The reason for this can be seen from Xunzi's attitude after he arrived in Qin and his performance in governing the state of Chu."

"After staying in Qi for more than ten years, King Hui of Qi died, King Jian of Qi succeeded him, and the political situation in Qi began to become chaotic again."

"The treasury has no money and cannot allocate silver. The scholars of Jixia Academy can only leave Qi and make a living on their own."

"It was also at that time that Xunzi received Fan Ju's recommendation and came to Qin."

"Xunzi's visit to Qin is a very interesting event, because according to the understanding of Confucian scholars at that time."

"Qin was a barbaric, evil, brutal, unrighteous, and fickle state. Confucius would not have entered Qin, and Confucian scholars would have been even less likely to enter Qin."

"However, Xunzi, a leading figure in Confucianism, not only entered the Qin State, but also spoke highly of it, which became one of the points of criticism against him by Confucian scholars in later generations."

"After Xunzi visited Qin State, he felt that the people there were honest, hardworking and highly motivated to produce."

"Officials are serious and diligent in their work."

"The Qin State clearly distinguished between public and private affairs, and everyone performed their duties. It was an efficient and honest country."

"In short, Qin is almost a perfect country."

"The Qin State's strength is not due to luck, but it deserves to be so strong."

"Xunzi's comments really hit the nerves of the Confucian scholars. You know, the Confucian scholars at that time would rather jump into the sea to feed the fish than live under the rule of the Qin State."

"If Xunzi pointed at the King of Qin and cursed him, the Confucian scholars would still respect him as a man."

"But I didn't expect Xunzi to praise Qin so much. It's really unbearable."

"From this point, we can see that Xunzi is not a person whose head is determined by his buttocks and whose cognition is determined by his position."

"He is a pragmatic and truth-seeking person with great wisdom who can distinguish right from wrong."

"On the one hand, Xunzi recognized the advantages of Qin State, and on the other hand, he promoted his own ideas on governing the country to King Zhaoxiang of Qin."

"But King Zhaoxiang of Qin was still not interested and dismissed him with just one sentence."

Xunzi: What I saw, heard, thought and felt in Qin made me let go of my prejudice and arrogance.

Recalling that year, the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao broke out.

Bai Qi, the Wu'an Marquis of Qin, killed more than 200,000 Zhao soldiers in battle, and then buried alive more than 200,000 Zhao soldiers who surrendered. The 450,000 elite troops of Zhao were wiped out.

After a short rest, Bai Qi led 300,000 Qin troops towards Handan, intending to destroy Zhao in one battle.

The King of Zhao urgently summoned all his ministers to discuss a strategy for survival. They knew that they would not be able to defeat the Qin army by fighting, and the only option was to seek peace.

Finally, the King of Zhao sent a special envoy to Qin to discuss peace talks, and it was at this time that he went to Qin as a member of the Zhao delegation.

He had never been to Qin before, but had only heard about it from others.

The laws of Qin were extremely cruel, the people lived in dire straits, the Qin people were poor and destitute, and the Qin government was as harsh as a tiger.

He wanted to see how such a brutal and poor Qin State defeated the civilized and prosperous Zhao State.

He entered Qin in a carriage, driving slowly along the way, carefully observing the customs, government administration and people's livelihood of Qin.

He had close contact with the people, clerks, officials, and court officials of Qin State, and had pleasant exchanges with them. When the Zhao State envoys passed through Qin State, there were no troops clearing the road and no people watching.

The Qin army and people each went about their own business and turned a blind eye to them.

He took the initiative to communicate with them and found that the Qin army and civilians knew the law and abided by it, were simple and honest, and there were basically no treacherous people.

The people of Qin were simple and honest, and their music was positive and uplifting, without any decadent tunes.

People are dressed neatly and elegantly, without any strange clothes.

The people respected the law and obeyed the management of officials. The people of Qin were simply the legendary good people of ancient times.

He had also been to government offices and saw that all Qin officials were serious and earnest.

They are all humble, frugal, loyal and trustworthy, just like officials under the rule of ancient sage kings.

In other words, Qin officials were dedicated to their work and abided by the law. There were no corrupt or incompetent officials.

He entered the Qin capital of Xianyang and observed the scholars and officials there.

When you walk out of your home, you walk into the government office, and when you walk out of the government office, you return to your home. There are no private affairs.

The Qin court officials did not collude with each other, did not form factions, and were honest and dedicated to their duties, just like the literati under the rule of ancient sage kings.

Observing the court of Qin, when the King of Qin finished presiding over government affairs, he handled all kinds of political affairs without omission, and was so leisurely that it seemed as if there was nothing to govern. It was really like the court governed by an ancient sage monarch.

Everything he saw in Qin made him realize that the rumors about the tyrannical Qin he had heard in the six kingdoms before were pure slander and could not be trusted.

When I arrived in Qin, I observed the people's customs, morale, official style, and the ethics of the monarch and his subjects from bottom to top.

He believed that Qin's policies for governing the country and managing the people were the best, and that the administration and customs of the six states in Shandong were far inferior to those of Qin.

No wonder all four generations of Qin kings were wise rulers and all four generations won victories in foreign wars.

"At this time, the political situation in Qi State has also stabilized."

"King Jian of Qi began to reorganize the Jixia Academy and summon the lost scholars."

"And wrote to Xunzi, inviting him to come back."

"So, Xunzi went to Qi for the third time to preside over the work of the Jixia Academy."

"Xunzi told King Jian of Qi about the advantages and strengths of his visits to various countries, especially Qin, hoping that King Jian would learn from them and strive to unify the world as soon as possible."

"King Jian of Qi also approved of Xunzi's ideas, but he could not resist the instigation of treacherous villains."

"The treacherous villains that Xunzi mentioned must be eradicated in Qin are referring to them. How can they not hate Xunzi?"

"So Xunzi had to leave Qi under the slander of the villain and went to Chu where his old friend Huang Xie was."

"At that time, Qin and Zhao were in a standoff at Changping, and Chu took the opportunity to annex Lu."

"He also made Lanling in Lu a county seat, and Chunshen Jun Huang Xie appointed Xunzi as the county magistrate."

"In less than two years, Xunzi had put Lanling in good order and achieved brilliant results."

"And Xunzi also brought the Qi State's Jixia teaching style to Lanling. Han Feizi, Li Si and others came to learn from him at that time."

"Because the local government has done so well, naturally there are people who are envious and jealous."

"Someone was slandering Huang Xie, saying that Tang of Shang gained the world with 70 li, and King Wen gained the world with 100 li. Now that Xunzi has been given 100 li of land, the State of Chu is in danger."

"Chun Shenjun believed the slander and dismissed Xunzi."

"There was no other choice, so Xunzi had to take his disciples and leave Chu State and return to Zhao State, his hometown after more than 30 years away."

"The King of Zhao received Xunzi warmly and regarded him as a distinguished guest."

"At that time, Zhao was experiencing another great disaster after the Battle of Changping, the Siege of Handan."

"The Zhao State was in dire straits at that time. The common people ate corpses to fill their stomachs and used bones and fat to burn fires to keep warm. Even the King of Zhao himself was starving."

"While Xunzi was discussing with the King of Zhao, Chunshen Lord Huang Xie realized that he had been fooled, so he begged Xunzi to come back."

"But Xunzi also has a temper and is determined not to go back."

"Considering the decades-long friendship between the two, Xunzi wrote a letter severely criticizing Huang Xie."

"Later, Huang Xie shamelessly sent people to apologize to Xunzi several times, hoping that he would come back."

"At that time, because Chunshen Jun helped King Zhao to break the siege of Handan, King Zhao also advised Xunzi."

"Xunzi then gave Huang Xie a favor and returned to Lanling to take up his post."

"During his tenure in Lanling, Xunzi worked diligently for more than ten years, bringing Lanling unprecedented development."

"Xunzi originally thought that his experience in governance could be promoted and make the State of Chu stronger."

"However, in 238 BC, civil strife broke out in the State of Chu, and Chunshen Jun Huang Xie was killed, along with his entire family, and Xunzi was dismissed from office as a result."

"After the civil strife in Chu, the state of Chu soon fell into ruin."

"Xunzi governed Lanling for about 20 years, and even after he was dismissed from office, he still had deep feelings for this place."

"So he spent his later years in a small mountain village southeast of Lanling, writing books and teaching his disciples until his death."

Zhu Di: Xunzi provided the idea of ​​Confucianism on the outside and Legalism on the inside for the stability and development of later dynasties.

Looking back on Xunzi's life, it can be said to be full of twists and turns, and he was simply a witness to major events in the late Warring States Period.

It is precisely because of Xunzi's complex and changeable experiences that he has a deeper understanding and thinking of the underlying logic of social problems, and has an advanced conception of the stable structure of future society.

In fact, all the philosophers in the pre-Qin period were seeking ways to solve the problems of troubled times, and Xunzi had the advantage of being a latecomer and made new breakthroughs and innovations.

It became the culmination of the Hundred Schools of Thought and also provided a practical blueprint for the development of dynasties in later generations.

Xunzi was not a romanticist, and he never easily criticized others from a moral perspective.

He is a serious, objective and pragmatic person who wants to solve problems in a down-to-earth manner.

Typical Confucian scholars often have romantic sentiments. They cry out loudly, tell others about the situation, and expose the dark side of society. They give people a sense of urgency about life and death, and their stories are extremely touching and infectious.

But Xunzi is not like that. He is not a person who likes to move people with emotions, nor is he a romanticist.

Typical romantics are the Confucian scholars satirized by Han Fei Zi, who are full of beautiful words but are useless in solving practical problems.

It is not difficult to find out when you open Xunzi's book that although he experienced the most bad things.

However, there is almost no mention of the disasters in his own time in Xunzi's books, and he does not like to point fingers at others on the moral level. This is what makes Xunzi very different from other Confucian scholars.

Xunzi's focus and standpoint is not criticism or emotion, but to find a way to solve a real problem in a down-to-earth way.

This is also why he evaluated the Qin State as an almost perfect country, because the Legalists did a good job in solving practical problems.

After Xunzi arrived in Qin, he spoke highly of the State of Qin.

The power of the King of Qin surpassed that of Shang Tang and the King of Zhou, and the territory he controlled was incomparable to that of the ancient sage kings.

But the Qin State was not perfect yet, it still lacked some qualities.

The biggest shortcoming of the Qin State was that it had no Confucian scholars. Without Confucian scholars to help govern the country, it could not be called the kingly way.

What King Zhaoxiang of Qin hated most in his life was the so-called kingly way of the Confucian scholars.

The kingly way cannot increase food production or improve the combat effectiveness of the army.

Xunzi further explained the role of Confucianism in the governance of the country.

If Confucian scholars are employed as officials, they will be particularly dedicated.

Because the life goal of Confucian scholars is to make their monarch more noble.

The core meaning of the kingly way is to increase the legitimacy of the monarch and the recognition of the people towards the monarch.
Give Confucian scholars some power and they will become qualified officials.

If you take back the power, the Confucian scholars will abide by the framework of etiquette and behave like law-abiding citizens.

Moreover, Confucian scholars not only abide by the law themselves, but also encourage others to abide by the law.

No matter how miserable the Confucian scholars themselves are, upholding the principle of etiquette does not conflict with their life values.

King Zhaoxiang of Qin was not interested in these words at all, but the logic behind them was actually profound.

A simple example can show how serious this is, such as the imperial court levying taxes on a village.

If the people all recognized the legitimacy of the court, then all they would need to do was send an official to collect all the taxes. It would be a very simple matter.

There is no need to even send officials. Just post a notice and the people will take the initiative to go to the designated location to pay taxes.

But if a mountain king comes to collect taxes, the people will not recognize his legitimacy.

Then the willingness to pay taxes will be very low, so a certain amount of armed forces must be added to achieve the goal.

The characteristic of Legalism is that it does not care what you think in your heart. It only relies on punishment and reward, and will deal with you if you dare to disobey.

In this case, in order to ensure execution, you have to add more people.

This will lead to an increase in the cost of tax collection, which will force the people to resist even more, and you will have to add more manpower.

This has led to a vicious cycle, and a simple matter has become complicated.

If this continues, a court will inevitably become tyrannical even if it does not want to do so subjectively.

The purpose of Confucianism is to help the monarch establish this kind of recognition from top to bottom, which is the so-called kingly way.

Once this recognition mechanism is established, it can greatly reduce administrative and management costs and significantly improve work efficiency.

The concept of etiquette extends from small to large, from family to country, from parents to monarch.

Once it is thoroughly established, there is no need for deterrence, inducement or intimidation in many things.

So what Xunzi wanted to express was that the general logic of Qin's rule of law was correct.

Simplifying some of the coercion and inducement steps and increasing the recognition of the kingly way can unleash greater power.

Therefore, Xunzi believed that the Qin State still had room for improvement, that is, to combine Confucianism and Legalism. This idea was refined into "Confucianism on the outside and Legalism on the inside" in later generations.

Internal laws ensure the efficient and reliable operation of the court. After all, what should be done must be done.

However, if foreign Confucians increase their recognition and establish legitimacy, they can greatly reduce internal friction.

But King Zhaoxiang of Qin did not understand Xunzi's painstaking efforts, nor did the Confucian scholars of later generations. They interpreted Xunzi's contentment with the state as cowardice.

Whenever Confucian scholars read this history of Xunzi, their veins bulged, they slammed their heads and stood up, feeling as if they were suffocating to death.

As both of us are great scholars, why can't we be like Mencius?
Mencius met the King of Wei. The king wanted to discuss profit with him, but Mencius directly retorted that they should talk about righteousness instead.

Now King Zhaoxiang of Qin asks you, Xunzi, what benefits Confucian scholars can bring. Why can't you, Xunzi, just confront him directly like Mencius did?

As a result, Xunzi said a lot of things, as if he wanted Confucian scholars to be lambs. It really could not be compared with Mencius's upright and righteous spirit.

It must be said that the fundamental reason for such misunderstanding is that Confucian scholars did not fully understand Xunzi's thoughts.

Xunzi wanted to combine the rule of law and the rule of man in the entire country, so that society could operate efficiently and stably and the people could live and work in peace and contentment.

It doesn’t matter that the Confucian scholars of later generations did not fully understand Xunzi’s meaning, because the emperors of later generations saw the killer move in it and made full use of it.

Confucianism on the outside and law on the inside, this is indeed a panacea for governing the country and stabilizing the social structure.

The hearts of emperors in later generations were almost all naked Legalists, and he was no exception.

But what the emperor expressed and promoted to the outside world was the idea of ​​encouraging the common people to be obedient citizens.

Emperor Xuan of Han once commented that the secret of ruling is a mixture of kingly way and hegemonic way. The so-called kingly way is that of Confucianism, and the so-called hegemonic way is that of Legalism.

Both hands must be grasped and both hands must be strong.

Many times, the two permeate each other and complement each other.

So from this perspective, although it has always been said that Confucianism is the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, it is the thoughts of Xunzi that truly represent the mainstream thinking that has dominated China for two thousand years.

Today, when we look at Xunzi's thoughts again, we must interpret them from a correct perspective.

In fact, Xunzi only wanted to achieve a harmonious and efficient way of operation through the combination of rule by man and rule by law, rather than the imperial technique of controlling others.

Facts have also proved that Xunzi was quite forward-looking. It would not work to have rule of law without rule of people.

The Legalists hated rule by man the most because strongman politics was too limiting.

When there are strong people in power, the country will naturally be prosperous and strong.

But once the strongman falls, the country will immediately decline.

For example, once great rulers like King Wuling of Zhao and King Zhao of Yan passed away, their countries would quickly decline.

Only by establishing a legal system can we ensure the orderly operation of the entire system of the country.

In that way, even if a mediocre monarch appears, the country will continue to become stronger.

The reason why the Qin State remained strong was because it adhered to the rule of law instead of the rule of man.

Han Fei's theory makes a lot of sense, but it also has loopholes.

If a mediocre monarch does not undermine the legal system, the country can certainly remain strong.

But if there are people who do evil things, such as Qin II who directly undermined the rule of law, then the country will inevitably perish.

It has to be said that a teacher is a teacher, and Xunzi saw a deeper side than his students.

Xunzi said that Houyi was a sharpshooter back then, and his archery method has not been lost, but not everyone can become a sharpshooter.

The laws and systems established by Dayu can still be seen today, but the Xia Dynasty has long since perished.

Therefore, the legal system cannot function on its own. It can only function well if there are the right people to implement the system.

Without the right people, the system will collapse.

Therefore, Xunzi emphasized that good systems are the source of a good society, and gentlemen are the source of good systems.

Good social management depends on the system, but the good operation of the system still depends on people.

After the death of Qin Shihuang, Qin law did not change.

But the Qin Dynasty soon fell because there was no suitable person to run this system.

Before Qin unified the world, the Qin State had been thriving, and the benefits of Qin laws were only superficial.

The key is that there is no tyrant ruler who undermines the rule of law and does evil things.

Therefore, as a monarch, he also needs to study Confucianism and Legalism and understand Confucianism's benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness.

Because once a system has been running for a long time, those who implement it will always find ways to expand their own interests.

The system cannot supervise itself, so at this time another force is needed to supervise the executors.

That is the power of Confucianism, which is why Confucius talked about becoming a martyr, Mencius talked about pursuing righteousness, and Xunzi talked about propriety.

The emperor also needs to study Confucian classics, cultivate himself, manage his family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world, and have a benevolent heart.

Instead of being like Qin II and Emperor Yang of Sui, who did whatever they wanted and had no sympathy for the sufferings of the common people.

This is the idea of ​​combining Legalism and Confucianism that Xunzi really wanted to embody. It is a moral interpretation rather than a technical interpretation.

(End of this chapter)