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

Section 2: Distinguishing Between "Desire" (Yu) and "Attainment" (De)

Master Xunzi criticized Master Songzi for being "obstructed by desire, unaware of attainment" (bi yu yu er bu zhi de). The relationship between "Desire" (Yu, 欲) concerning the moderation of desire, and "Attainment" (De, 得) concerning reasonable acquisition, needs careful differentiation.

Master Songzi’s core logic was: The problem stems from excessive desire → reduce desire → problem solved. However, Master Xunzi pointed out that this logic overlooked a crucial link—"Attainment." Even if human desires are reduced, if the "Attainment" (the means and conditions for actual acquisition) is not reasonably arranged, social problems cannot be resolved.

What is "Attainment" (De)$1 Here, "De" has two meanings:

First, "Attainment" refers to actual fulfillment. To live, one always has basic needs—food, clothing, shelter, safety, social interaction, etc.—these needs must be met. Simply telling people to "reduce desire" without providing the conditions to meet basic needs is unrealistic. Master Songzi thought that as long as people didn't want too much, the problem would be solved; but in reality, some things are not a matter of wanting or not wanting—they are matters of necessity. One cannot choose not to eat, not to wear clothes, or not to have shelter. These basic needs cannot be eliminated simply by "diminishing desire."

Second, "Attainment" refers to the legitimate channels and institutional arrangements for acquisition. The key to social problems lies not only in how much people want, but in how they acquire what they need. If the social system is just and reasonable, people can obtain what they need through proper means, and even if they have strong desires, this will not lead to severe social conflict. Conversely, if the social system is unjust, conflict may erupt even if people desire little, simply because basic needs are unmet.

Master Xunzi analyzed the relationship between "Desire" and "Attainment" in detail in the chapter "On Names" (Zheng Ming, 正名):

"Desire does not wait for attainability, but seeking follows what is attainable. Desire not waiting for attainability is received from Heaven; seeking that follows what is attainable is received from the mind. The single desire received from Heaven is constrained by the many things received from the mind; thus, it is difficult to resemble what is received from Heaven." (欲不待可得，而求者从所可。欲不待可得，所受乎天也；求者从所可，所受乎心也。所受乎天之一欲，制于所受乎心之多，固难类所受乎天也。)

This passage is brilliant. Master Xunzi states that the existence of desire ("received from Heaven") is human nature and need not or should not be eliminated; the key is that "seeking follows what is attainable" (qiu zhe cong suo ke)—the method of pursuing the satisfaction of desire must follow rational channels ("received from the mind," i.e., rational guidance). In other words, the problem is not the existence of desire, but how to correctly pursue its satisfaction—this is the issue of "Attainment."

This insight is profound. It reveals the fundamental error in Master Songzi’s "obstruction by desire": Master Songzi focused only on desire itself (trying to reduce it) while ignoring the method and conditions for its satisfaction ("Attainment"). This is like a doctor facing a fever patient who tries only to lower the body temperature instead of finding the cause (infection, inflammation, etc.)—the temperature might drop, but the underlying illness remains, and the fever will return.