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 5 The Great Unity as Ultimate Pursuit: Harmonious Wholeness Beyond Opposition
Master Xunzi mentions the "Great Unity" (Da Yi) twice—"When the two combine to form culture, they return to the Great Unity" and "the lowest degree reverts to emotion to return to the Great Unity." This "Great Unity" can be considered the ultimate pursuit in Master Xunzi’s theory of Rites.
The "Great Unity" transcends all oppositions—the opposition between root and utility, emotion and culture, flourishing and reduction, individual and society, artifice and nature. In the state of "Great Unity," all these oppositions are resolved, and everything returns to harmony.
This pursuit of "harmonious wholeness beyond opposition" is not only Xunzi’s personal pursuit but also a common pursuit throughout pre-Qin thought. Confucianism idealizes the "Doctrine of the Mean" ("When the Mean and Harmony are carried to their utmost extent, Heaven and Earth assume their correct positions, and the myriad things are nourished"); Daoism seeks refuge in the "Dao" ("The Dao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced the myriad things"); the I Ching regards the "Taiji" (Supreme Ultimate) as the root ("The Yi has the Taiji; this produced the Two Primes"). These different expressions all point in the same direction—transcending opposition and returning to unity.
Master Xunzi’s "Great Unity" is the concrete manifestation of this common pursuit in the realm of ritual theory. It tells us: The highest state of Rites is not a specific form (whether flourishing or reduction) but a state of holistic harmony that transcends all specific forms—in this harmony, all opposition is resolved, all tension is reconciled, and man merges with Heaven and Earth.