Xunzi's 'Jie Bi' (Unveiling Concealment): On the Wholeness of the Dao, Cognitive Limitation, and the Fortune of Being Unobstructed

Section 5: The Middle Way of Confucianism—The Unity of "Utility" and "Culture"

Confucians were not indifferent to "Utility." Confucius said, "When learning flourishes, one should enter official service." (Analects, Zi Zhang), advocating for applying learning in practice. Master Mencius discussed "regulating the livelihood of the people" (Mengzi, Liang Hui Wang Shang), emphasizing the importance of material foundations. Master Xunzi himself said: "The way to enrich a state is to moderate expenditure and enrich the people, and store the surplus well." (Xunzi, Fu Guo) Thus, Confucianism fully recognizes the value of "Utility."

However, Confucianism opposes taking "Utility" as the sole standard. In the Confucian view, "Utility" and "Culture" must be unified. Only "Utility" without "Culture" results in a life that satisfies material needs but lacks spiritual meaning—this is the Mohist partiality. Only "Culture" without "Utility" results in a life that is ornate and elegant but disconnected from practical foundations—this is another form of partiality.

The phrase "When substance prevails over culture, one becomes rustic; when culture prevails over substance, one becomes a scribe. Only when culture and substance are blended harmoniously does one become a gentleman" (Wen zhi bin bin, ran hou junzi) precisely expresses the optimal unity of "Utility" (represented by rustic substance) and "Culture" (represented by elegance). "Substance" is closer to "Utility"—plain, practical, functional. "Culture" is closer to "Elegance"—aesthetic, ritualistic, symbolic. "Bin Bin" means appropriate proportion and harmonious balance. The gentleman is neither a pure utilitarian ("rustic") nor a pure formalist ("scribe"), but a harmonious unity of the two.

This path of unity precisely embodies Master Xunzi’s idea that the Dao is "constant in substance yet endlessly changing." The "constant" is the principle that "Utility" and "Culture" are both indispensable; the "changing" is that the specific ratio between them can be adjusted in different eras and situations. In times of material scarcity, one might lean toward "Utility"; in times of spiritual poverty, one might lean toward "Culture." But regardless of the adjustment, one cannot entirely abandon either pole.

Thus, Master Mozi’s "obstruction" lies not in his valuing "Utility"—valuing "Utility" itself is not wrong—but in his "unawareness of Culture," meaning his denial of the value of "Wen." This denial meant his intellectual system was inherently incomplete and biased, unable to encompass all dimensions of human life.