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 6 The Deep Inquiry into the Relationship between Emotion (Qing) and Culture (Wen)

Having discussed the three tiers of Rites—"emotion and culture fully realized," "emotion and culture alternately prevail," and "revert to emotion to return to the Great Unity"—we must conduct a deeper inquiry into the relationship between "emotion" (qing) and "culture" (wen).

First, is there an inevitable tension between "emotion" (qing) and "culture" (wen)$31

Logically, "emotion" (qing) is natural, spontaneous, and individualistic; "culture" (wen) is artificial, normative, and socialized. The relationship between Nature and Artifice, between the individual and society, inherently involves tension. A person’s true inner feeling may not always align with society’s formal requirements—for instance, in mourning Rites, a person might not genuinely feel sorrow (perhaps they were distant from the deceased), yet the Rites require them to display sorrow (because they are a relative). In such a case, "emotion" and "culture" conflict. If they perform sorrow according to the Rites, it is "culture prevailing over emotion" (wen sheng qing)—hypocrisy; if they honestly admit they do not feel sorrow and refuse to perform, it is "emotion prevailing over culture" (qing sheng wen)—impropriety. How to resolve this conflict$32

Master Xunzi does not directly answer this, but inferring from his overall thought, he might say: The educational function of Rites lies precisely here. Through long-term cultivation of Rites and Righteousness, human emotion itself is shaped and elevated—a person cultivated by Rites and Righteousness will no longer have purely natural, spontaneous emotions, but emotions that have been educated and aligned with propriety. He will not only know that he should grieve at a funeral but will genuinely feel grief—because the cultivation of Rites and Righteousness has internalized the spirit of "cautiously handling death and remembering the distant past" into his emotional structure.

Xunzi, Xiu Shen (Self-Cultivation) states:

"Rites are what rectify the self... Therefore, without Rites, man cannot live; without Rites, affairs cannot be completed; without Rites, the state cannot be tranquil."

Rites are used to rectify the self. Through the practice of Rites, both mind and body are rectified—not only does external conduct conform to norms, but internal emotion also tends toward what is proper. This is Master Xunzi’s thought on "transforming nature and establishing artificiality" (hua xing qi wei)—changing human natural disposition through later education and self-cultivation so that it conforms to righteousness.

Second, is the perfect unification of "emotion" (qing) and "culture" (wen) possible$33

Theoretically, "emotion and culture fully realized" (qing wen ju jin) as the highest ideal implies that the perfect unification of qing and wen is possible. But in practice, this perfect unification is extremely rare—perhaps only achievable by the Sages.

Master Kong’s self-description of his lifelong cultivation:

"The Master said, 'At fifteen, I set my heart on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the Mandate of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was attuned to it. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired without overstepping what was right.'" (Analects, Wei Zheng)

"At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired without overstepping what was right" (Cong xin suo yu, bu yu ju)—By the age of seventy, he could follow his heart's desires without transgressing the rules. This is the vivid embodiment of "emotion and culture fully realized"—the inner emotion ("following the heart's desire") and the external norm ("not overstepping the rules") are completely unified—not by emotion submitting to norms, nor norms suppressing emotion, but emotion itself being in accordance with norms, and norms themselves being what emotion yearns for.

The Zhong Yong (Doctrine of the Mean) states:

"When joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure are not yet aroused, this is called the Mean (Zhong). When they are aroused and all in due measure, this is called Harmony (He). The Mean is the great root of the world; Harmony is the universal path of the world. When the Mean and Harmony are carried to their utmost extent, Heaven and Earth assume their correct positions, and the myriad things are nourished."

"When they are aroused and all in due measure" (Fa er jie zhong jie)—Emotional expression is perfectly appropriate. This is the perfect unification of "emotion" and "culture." "Mean" is the internal state before emotion is aroused—centered and impartial; "Harmony" is the external state after emotion is aroused—harmonious and measured. "Carrying the Mean and Harmony to their utmost extent" (Zhi Zhong He)—reaching the state of Mean and Harmony— "Heaven and Earth assume their correct positions, and the myriad things are nourished." This cosmological description elevates "emotion and culture fully realized" to the level of Heaven and Earth—when an individual’s emotion perfectly unifies with form, the entire cosmos is harmonized because of it.