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 Heaven Ends in Conformity Alone" (You Tian Wei zhi Dao, Jin Yin Yi)—The Predicament of Passive Compliance

"The Dao defined by Heaven ends in Conformity alone." (由天谓之道，尽因矣。)

"Yin" (因) means to follow, to comply, to conform. "Ends in Conformity Alone" (Jin Yin Yi)—entirely passive conformity.

Why does Master Xunzi summarize Master Zhuangzi’s flaw as "Conformity"$6

Because Master Zhuangzi’s core assertion was "following the Heavenly Dao"—not interfering with the natural state of things through human artifice, but allowing things to follow their nature and guiding them according to circumstances. This attitude of "Conformity" is reasonable when facing the natural world—indeed, man cannot act against the laws of nature. However, when this attitude of "Conformity" is extended to all aspects of human society, serious problems arise.

Human society differs from the natural world. Nature operates spontaneously and self-sufficiently—the sun and moon do not require human arrangement, and the seasons do not require human manipulation. However, the operation of human society requires active human participation—laws must be formulated by men, order must be maintained by men, education must be implemented by men, and conflicts must be mediated by men. If a passive attitude of "Conformity"—letting nature take its course without intervention—is adopted toward human society, society will descend into chaos.

This is not an abstract theoretical issue but a political one with serious practical consequences. Master Xunzi sharply pointed out in "On Heaven":

"To set aside man and contemplate Heaven is to lose the reality of all things." (故错人而思天，则失万物之情。)

"Set aside" (cuo, 错) means to neglect. "To set aside man and contemplate Heaven" means neglecting humanity’s functions while focusing on Heaven. If this is done, one will "lose the reality of all things"—the actual conditions of human society.

This is the core problem of Master Zhuangzi’s "obstruction by Heaven and unawareness of Man": Master Zhuangzi was immersed in the contemplation and realization of "Heaven," neglecting the "Man" dimension—the actual needs of people and the concrete problems of society. His philosophy might bring individuals spiritual transcendence and tranquility, but it cannot guide the effective governance of a state.

Let us take a concrete example. In Zhuangzi, "Horse's Hooves," Master Zhuangzi criticizes the practice of Bo Le, the master horse-trainer:

"The horse has four hooves that can tread on frost and snow, and a coat that can ward off wind and cold; it grazes on grass and drinks water, lifting its hooves to run on land—this is the true nature of the horse. Even if there were elegant terraces and resting halls, they would be useless to it. When Bo Le arrived, he said: 'I am skilled at managing horses.' He burned them, skinned them, branded them, branded their noses, tied them with reins, and penned them in stables; twelve or thirteen out of every thirty horses died." (马，蹄可以践霜雪，毛可以御风寒，龁草饮水，翘足而陆，此马之真性也。虽有义台路寝，无所用之。及至伯乐，曰：‘我善治马。’烧之，剔之，刻之，雒之，连之以羁馽，编之以皁栈，马之死者十二三矣。)

Master Zhuangzi believed the horse's nature was to run freely in the wilderness, and Bo Le’s "skillful management" was actually a violent assault on the horse’s nature. By extension, all human artifice—including rites, music, laws, and institutions—are assaults on natural disposition.

This metaphor is indeed powerful, but it has a fundamental logical flaw: it equates man with the horse. Horses can run freely in the wilderness without social order, but men cannot. If human society lacked rites, music, and legal institutions, it would descend into a state of "survival of the fittest"—this is not the ideal state of "Heavenly Release," but the reality of "Human Disaster" (Ren Huo, 人祸).

Master Xunzi clearly articulated this in "On Human Nature is Evil" (Xing E, 性恶):

"Now, man’s nature is that by birth he is fond of gain. If he follows this nature, contention and avarice will arise, and requests and compliance will cease. By birth, he has feelings of envy and hatred. If he follows this, rebellion and violence will arise, and loyalty and good faith will vanish. By birth, he has the desires of the ears and eyes, a fondness for beautiful sights and sounds. If he follows this, licentiousness and disorder will arise, and rites, righteousness, culture, and order will perish. Thus, if one follows man’s nature and complies with his feelings, he will inevitably end up in contention and avarice, deviating from what is right and orderly, and culminating in brutality." (今人之性，生而有好利焉，顺是，故争夺生而辞让亡焉；生而有疾恶焉，顺是，故残贼生而忠信亡焉；生而有耳目之欲，有好声色焉，顺是，故淫乱生而礼义文理亡焉。然则从人之性，顺人之情，必出于争夺，合于犯分乱理而归于暴。)

If one follows Master Zhuangzi’s advice to completely conform to human nature ("Conformity"), without any human guidance or regulation—the result will be "contention arises and compliance ceases," "malice arises and trustworthiness vanishes," and "licentiousness arises and rites and order perish"—the society will completely collapse.

This is the danger of "Conformity Alone": it appears to respect nature but neglects the specific characteristics of human society. Human society requires "Culture" (Wen), "Attainment" (De), "Worthy Men" (Xian), and "Wisdom" (Zhi)—these are all dimensions of "Man," which "Heaven" cannot automatically provide. Master Zhuangzi’s "obstruction by Heaven and unawareness of Man" precisely overlooks this fundamental fact.