Names Establish the World, the World is Established by Names: A Deep Interpretation of "The Names Established by the Later Kings" and "General Names Residing in People" in Xunzi’s "Rectification of Names"

Introduction: Why Discuss "Names"$1

In the grand debates of the pre-Qin masters, the weight carried by the character ming (名, "name") was far greater than what modern people might easily imagine. Today, we say "name" as if it were a mere label or symbol. However, in the age of the Three Dynasties and the chaos of the contending states, "names" concerned the order or disorder of the world, the allegiance of the human heart, the structure of all things, and the boundaries of life and death.

Why should we delve into these passages by Master Xun (Xunzi) concerning the "completion of names by the latter kings" and "the dispersed names pertaining to man"$2 This is not merely a linguistic or logical issue. It is a fundamental inquiry into "what makes a human a human," "what makes a world a world," and "what makes governance effective."

In the chapter "On the Rectification of Names" (Zhengming), Master Xun unfolds a complete philosophical system of "names." From institutional names (legal titles, noble ranks, ceremonial designations) to everyday names (dispersed names), and from the names of all things to the names of human attributes (nature, emotion, deliberation, artificial effort, business, conduct, knowledge, wisdom, ability, illness, and fate), he attempts to use "names" as the warp and woof to weave a net encompassing heaven, earth, and human ethics.

Behind this vast net lies the deepest concern of pre-Qin thought: How does man understand himself$3 How does man understand the world$4 How does man, through understanding, transform both himself and the world$5

Let us first present the original text in its integrity, then proceed to analyze it layer by layer.