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 2 The Eternal Tension between Culture (Wen) and Substance (Zhi)
The second core philosophical problem in Master Xunzi’s Discourse on Rites is the eternal tension between "culture" (wen) and "substance" (zhi) (or "emotion" (qing) and "culture" (wen)).
Throughout pre-Qin intellectual history, the relationship between wen and zhi has been a central issue. Confucius proposed the ideal of "well-blended culture and substance" (wen zhi bin bin); Master Xunzi further deepened this ideal with "emotion and culture fully realized" (qing wen ju jin). But the ideal remains the ideal—in reality, the tension between wen and zhi always exists.
Why is this tension "eternal"$11 Because wen and zhi separately represent two irreducible dimensions of human existence—naturalness (zhi) and sociality (wen). Man is both a natural being (with natural desires and emotions) and a social being (with social roles and norms). Between these two dimensions, there will always be some degree of tension—the spontaneous impulse of nature and the normative requirements of society can never be perfectly aligned.
Xunzi’s theory of Rites can be seen as a response to this eternal tension. He does not attempt to eliminate this tension (which is impossible) but attempts to manage and regulate it—by flexibly employing flourishing (long), reduction (sha), and the middle course (zhong liu), the tension is kept within controllable limits. In solemn occasions, "culture" dominates (elaborate culture/principle, restrained emotion/utility); in simple occasions, "emotion" dominates (sparse culture/principle, abundant emotion/utility); in general occasions, the two operate concurrently (culture/principle and emotion/utility serve as interior/exterior, manifestation/obscurity, operating concurrently and intermingled).
This flexible strategy is more practical and effective than any one-sided position (such as Daoist "abandoning culture for substance" or Legalist "using punishment instead of Rites").