Xunzi's 'Jiebi' (Dispelling Obscuration): On the Wholeness of the Dao, Cognitive Limitation, and the Blessing of Unobscured Vision
This article offers an in-depth reading of the 'Jiebi' chapter of the Xunzi, exploring the cognitive roots of the 'calamity of obscuration' among the pre-Qin thinkers. Through an analysis of 'the Dao embodies constancy and encompasses all change,' it reveals the predicament of human cognition clinging to 'a single corner,' and elucidates the transcendent value of Confucius's 'benevolence and wisdom, unobscured,' with the aim of understanding how to overcome cognitive bias.
Chapter Nine: The Unobscured Vision of the Master — Benevolent and Wise, and Moreover Unobscured
"The Master was benevolent and wise, and moreover unobscured; therefore his study of diverse arts sufficed to make him the equal of the former kings. His one school obtained the comprehensive Dao of Zhou, took it up and applied it, and was not obscured by accumulated achievement. Therefore his virtue equaled the Duke of Zhou's, and his renown paralleled that of the Three Kings — this is the blessing of unobscured vision."
"Benevolence" provides the correct value orientation — universal concern for all aspects of human life. "Wisdom" provides cognitive capacity — the ability to see all facets of the Dao. Together they constitute the necessary condition for freedom from obscuration.
The Master studied "diverse arts" yet was not blinded by their variety — he integrated them with "benevolence and wisdom" at the core. His "one school obtained the comprehensive Dao of Zhou" (zhou meaning complete, comprehensive). He was "not obscured by accumulated achievement" — maintaining the attitude of "utter emptiness" (kong kong ru ye): "Do I possess knowledge$34 I have no knowledge. When a simple person asks me a question, I am utterly empty" (Analects, Zi Han).
"His virtue equaled the Duke of Zhou's, and his renown paralleled that of the Three Kings" — this supreme assessment shows that the highest achievement of "unobscured vision" lies not in external power and accomplishment but in the complete grasp of the Dao and the thorough realization of virtue. The Master, a commoner, achieved what only sage kings achieved — demonstrating that the power of "unobscured vision" far surpasses worldly power.