Xunzi: A Translation and Study of the Complete Works: —Vol. I, Books 1-6

by Xun Kuang, John Knoblock

Coming at the end of the great flowering of philosophical inquiry in Warring States China, when the foundations for traditional Chinese thought were laid, Xunzi occupies a place analogous to that of Aristotle in the West. The collection of works bearing his name contains not only the most systematic philosophical exposition by any early Confucian thinker, but also account of virtually every aspect of the intellectual, cultural, and social life of his time. Xunzi was a social critic and intellectual historian as well as a philosopher. He was also extremely active in the political and academic circles of his day, and his teaching had a great influence on the initial institutional organization of a unified China under the first Qin emperor, an influence that continued (though often unacknowledged) through later centuries. This is the first of three volumes that will constitute the first complete translation of Xunzi into English. The present volume consists of a general introduction and Books 1-6, dealing with self-cultivation, learning, and education. The translation is accompanied by substantial explanatory material identifying technical terms, persons, and events; detailed introductions to each book; and extensive annotation, with characters when desirable, indicating the basis of the translations. The general introduction recounts the biography of Xunzi, his later influence, the intellectual world in which he lived, and the basic terms that the ancient Chinese used to conceptualize nature and society.

356 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

Xun Kuang ([ɕy̌n kʰwâŋ]; Chinese: 荀況, c. 310 – c. 235 BC, alt. c. 314 – c. 217 B.C.), known as "Master Xun" (Xunzi), was a Chinese Realist Confucian philosopher who lived during the Warring States period and contributed to one of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Educated in the state of Qi, the Xunzi, an influential collection of essays is traditionally attributed to him. Witnessing the chaos surrounding the fall of the Zhou dynasty and rise of the Legalistic Qin state, the philosophy of the Confucian Xunzi has a darker, pragmatic, flavour compared to Confucian optimism of Mencius's view that man is innately good. Xunzi's doctrines were influential in forming the official state doctrine of the Han Dynasty, but during the Tang Dynasty his influence waned compared to that of Mencius.

Xunzi would be the teacher of Qin Chancellor Li Si and Realpolitikal synthesizer Han Feizi, proponents of Legalism believing in control of the state by law and penalty. Like Shang Yang he believed that man's inborn tendencies were evil, and that ethical norms had been invented to rectify mankind. Because of this, he is sometimes associated with Legalism. But like most Confucians he focuses on and believed that man could be refined through education and ritual.

(from Wikipedia)