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

Section 3: "The Dao Defined by Desire Ends in Scarcity Alone" (You Yu Wei zhi Dao, Jin Qian Yi)—Why "Scarcity"$2

"The Dao defined by Desire ends in Scarcity alone." (由欲谓之道，尽嗛矣。)

"Qian" (嗛) means humble, small, or insufficient. "End in Scarcity Alone" (Jin Qian Yi)—entirely insufficient and lacking.

Why does Master Xunzi say that defining the Dao based on "Desire" results in "Scarcity"$3

Because Master Songzi’s approach was to solve problems by reducing desire. If this approach were carried to its extreme, its logical conclusion would be: man should have fewer desires, fewer pursuits, less acquisition—in short, less is better. However, to the extreme of "less" is "scarcity"—want and decline. A society whose highest principle is "diminishing desire" will ultimately become one of material poverty and spiritual repression, where everything withers—because all pursuit, all development, all creation is suppressed as "excessive desire."

This is the meaning of "ending in scarcity": if Master Songzi’s doctrine were fully implemented, society would descend into comprehensive lack and stagnation.

On a deeper level, Master Songzi’s "obstruction by desire" also involves a crucial divergence in human nature theory. Master Songzi (and some Daoists) tended to view desire as negative and harmful, believing that eliminating or reducing desire was the only path to an ideal society. However, Master Xunzi (and the mainstream Confucian tradition) believed that desire is a natural component of human nature that cannot and should not be eliminated; the key is to guide and restrain desire through reasonable means, allowing it to be satisfied in an orderly manner.

In Xunzi, "On Rites" (Li Lun), Master Xunzi states:

"Rites are nourishment. Cooked and minced meats, grains, five flavors, harmonized seasonings, these are for nourishing the mouth; spices and orchids, fragrance and aroma, these are for nourishing the nose; carvings and etchings, brocade patterns and artful designs, these are for nourishing the eyes; bells, drums, pipes, and reeds, lutes and stringed instruments, these are for nourishing the ears; airy chambers and fine appearances, mats and cushions, these are for nourishing the body. Therefore, Rites are nourishment." (礼者，养也。刍豢稻粱，五味调香，所以养口也；椒兰芬苾，所以养鼻也；雕琢刻镂，黼黻文章，所以养目也；钟鼓管磬，琴瑟竽笙，所以养耳也；疏房檖貌，越席床笫几筵，所以养体也。故礼者，养也。)

This passage clearly shows that Master Xunzi did not oppose human desire—nourishing the mouth with fine food, the nose with fragrance, the eyes with beauty, the ears with music, the body with comfort—these are all reasonable satisfactions of desire and are all content of "Rites." Rites do not suppress desire but satisfy it in a proper manner, ensuring that satisfaction is orderly, moderate, and tasteful.

Conversely, Master Songzi’s doctrine of "diminishing desire" fundamentally negates these reasonable satisfactions. In his view, fine food is excessive, spices are excessive, ornamentation is excessive, and music is excessive—anything beyond the minimum requirement for survival is superfluous. This extreme doctrine of "diminishing desire" ultimately results in the comprehensive withering of humanity—people cease to pursue a better life, higher culture, or deeper spiritual realms, settling merely for subsistence. This is "ending in scarcity"—a universal state of lack and stagnation.