An Inquiry into the Core of Xunzi's 'On Rites': The Origin of Rites, Textual-Structural Logic, and the Way of Elevation and Reduction

Section 2 Overview of the Text and Core Teachings

The text studied in this article is selected from the core passages of Master Xunzi’s Discourse on Rites, comprising four sections. We shall first transcribe the text here and then outline the core meaning of each passage sequentially.

Passage 1:

Where do Rites originate$21 They originate from this: humans are born with desires. When desires are present but unsatisfied, they cannot help but seek. When seeking lacks measure and boundary, contention cannot be avoided. Contention leads to chaos, and chaos leads to destitution. The Former Kings detested this chaos, so they established Rites and Righteousness (Yi, 义) to differentiate among them, thereby nurturing human desires and satisfying human demands. This ensures that desires do not exhaust material things, and material things are not subjugated by desires. When the two support each other and grow, this is the origin of Rites.

This passage serves as the general outline of the Discourse on Rites, explaining the origin of Rites. Its core logic can be summarized as a causal chain: Desire $\rightarrow$ Seeking $\rightarrow$ Lack of Measure and Boundary $\rightarrow$ Contention $\rightarrow$ Chaos $\rightarrow$ Destitution $\rightarrow$ Former Kings Establish Rites $\rightarrow$ Nurture Desire and Satisfy Seeking $\rightarrow$ Mutual Support and Growth between Desire and Material Things $\rightarrow$ This is the Origin of Rites. This is a logical deduction from the "natural state" of human nature to the "institutional state" of society, and a process of transformation from "chaos" to "order."

Passage 2:

Honoring the root (ben) is called culture (wen); embracing utility (yong) is called principle (li). When the two combine to form culture, they return to the Great Unity (Da Yi, 大一)—this is called Great Flourishing (Da Long, 大隆).

This passage is extremely concise, discussing the internal structure of Rites. "Root" (ben) and "Utility" (yong), "Culture" (wen) and "Principle" (li), constitute the two major dimensions of Rites. "Honoring the root" is to respect the fundamental basis, while "embracing utility" is to be close to practical application. When the two unite, they form culture and return to the "Great Unity"—this is "Great Flourishing" (Da Long)—the highest state of flourishing within Rites.

Passage 3:

All Rites begin with simplicity (tuo or zhuo), are completed in culture (wen), and end in joyful calibration (yue jiao). Thus, in their utmost perfection, both emotion (qing) and culture (wen) are fully realized; in the next degree, emotion and culture alternately prevail; the lowest degree reverts to emotion to return to the Great Unity.

This passage discusses the developmental process and stratification of Rites. Simplicity (zhuo, implying unrefined substance) marks the beginning, culture (wen) marks the completion of refinement, and joyful calibration (yue jiao) marks the harmonious end. The relationship between emotion (qing) and culture (wen) determines the quality of the Rites. The highest state is when "emotion and culture are both fully realized" (qing wen ju jin); the next is when "emotion and culture alternately prevail" (qing wen dai sheng); the lowest is when emotion is "reverted to" (fu qing) to return to the Great Unity.

Passage 4:

Rites use material things (cai wu) as their utility (yong), use nobility and baseness (gui jian) as their culture (wen), use abundance and scarcity (duo shao) as their differentiation (yi), and use flourishing (long) and reduction (sha) as their key principle (yao). When culture and principle are elaborate, and emotion and utility are restrained, this is the flourishing (long) of Rites. When culture and principle are sparse, and emotion and utility are abundant, this is the reduction (sha) of Rites. When culture, principle, emotion, and utility mutually serve as interior and exterior, manifestation and obscurity, operating concurrently and intermingled, this is the middle course (zhong liu) of Rites. Therefore, the superior man achieves the utmost flourishing above, exhausts the utmost reduction below, and resides in the middle. His steps, gallops, and swift flights do not go beyond these. This is the altar-space and court of the superior man. If one possesses this, he is a gentleman (shi junzi); if outside this, he is a commoner (min); if he resides perfectly in the middle, moving deftly and grasping the order implicitly, he is a Sage (sheng ren). Thus, that which is deep (hou) is the accumulation of Rites; that which is great (da) is the expanse of Rites; that which is high (gao) is the flourishing (long) of Rites; that which is bright (ming) is the perfection (jin) of Rites. The Book of Odes says: "Rites and ceremonies perfectly measure, laughter and speech perfectly accord." This is what is meant.

This passage is the summary and sublimation of the entire essay. It first explains the four elements of Rites—material things (utility), nobility/baseness (culture), abundance/scarcity (differentiation), and flourishing/reduction (key principle); it then discusses the three tiers of Rites—flourishing (long), reduction (sha), and the middle course (zhong liu); finally, it distinguishes between the superior man and the Sage, and outlines the four virtues of Rites—depth (hou), greatness (da), height (gao), and brightness (ming). It concludes by citing the Book of Odes as evidence, unifying the entire body of reasoning into a complete system.