An Inquiry into the Core of Xunzi's 'On Rites': The Origin of Rites, Textual-Structural Logic, and the Way of Elevation and Reduction
This article provides an in-depth exegesis of the foundational text in the opening of Xunzi's 'On Rites,' systematically analyzing the logical chain linking the origin of rites to human desire and societal conflict, elucidating the structural concept of 'Honoring the fundamental is called text (wen), utilizing it closely is called principle (li),' and investigating the hierarchical dimensions of elevation (long), reduction (sha), and the middle way within rites pertaining to the gentleman's path.
Section 9 Differentiating Men by Rites: Gentleman vs. Commoner
"If one possesses this ability, he is a gentleman (shi junzi); if outside this, he is a commoner (min)." (Ren you shi, shi junzi ye; wai shi, min ye.)
"Possesses this" (you shi)—Possesses the cultivation and ability regarding Rites described above. This person is a shi or junzi (gentleman/superior man).
"Outside this" (wai shi)—Outside this range, meaning lacking this cultivation and ability. This person is a "commoner" (min).
The distinction here between shi junzi and min is not one of hereditary rank (it does not mean nobles are gentlemen and commoners are the masses) but one of level of cultivation. One who can flexibly employ Rites across flourishing, reduction, and the middle course is a shi junzi; one who cannot achieve this is a min.
This classification based on cultivation level, rather than birth status, is an important tradition in pre-Qin Confucian thought. Confucius said:
"There is no distinction in education." (You jiao wu lei.) (Analects, Zi Jin)
Education is not graded by status—anyone can improve their cultivation through learning. Therefore, the status of shi junzi is not innate but acquired through self-cultivation.
Xunzi, Xiu Shen also states:
"He who loves the law and practices it is a shi. He who holds firm to his will and embodies it is a gentleman (junzi). He who is perfectly clear and inexhaustible is a Sage. If a man has no law, he is agitated and lost; if he has the law but does not grasp its meaning, he is merely diligent; if he follows the law and also grasps its deeper implications, only then is he truly refined."
"Loves the law and practices it" (hao fa er xing)—This is a shi. "Holds firm to his will and embodies it" (du zhi er ti)—This is a junzi. "Perfectly clear and inexhaustible" (qi ming er bu jie)—This is a Sage. This passage clearly distinguishes three levels—shi, junzi, and Sage—based entirely on the level of cultivation, not birth status.