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 10 The Sage’s Highest Realm: Moving Deftly and Implicitly Grasping Order
"If he resides perfectly in the middle, moving deftly and grasping the order implicitly, he is a Sage." (Yu zhi qi zhong yan, fang huang zhou xie, qu de qi ci xu, shi sheng ren ye.)
This sentence describes the Sage—the ultimate practitioner of Rites—whose realm is reached "in the middle" (yu zhi qi zhong yan).
"Moving deftly" (Fang huang)—Unrushed and elegant; righteous and radiant. "Deftly" (huang) also means shining brightly. Combined, fang huang describes a state of ease and openness.
"Grasping the order implicitly" (Qu de qi ci xu)—"Implicitly" (qu) refers to every bend or detail; "grasping the order" (de qi ci xu) means precisely grasping the sequence. Combined, this describes the Sage’s complete mastery over every detail of Rites—nothing is too much or too little, neither too early nor too late, neither flourishing nor reduced, just right.
This corresponds to Confucius’s state of "following what my heart desired without overstepping what was right" at seventy—the complete embodiment of "grasping the order implicitly" in personal life. In this realm, Rites cease to be external norms and become internal consciousness—every word and action of the Sage naturally conforms to Rites, effortlessly, like breathing.
This realm is precious because it resolves the eternal tension between "culture" (wen) and "substance" (zhi)—for the Sage, wen is zhi, and zhi is wen; the two are completely unified. The Sage’s expression of emotion is itself the most perfect form, and the most perfect form inherently carries the most genuine emotion.
This realm is precisely what Master Xunzi seeks. It is the perfection of "joyful calibration" (yue jiao), where freedom and order merge seamlessly.