Xunzi.
charisma.
A representative of Confucianism in history, the two most famous **, but they are both Legalists and celebrities.
In the long history of China, there is a great Confucian, his life is full of legends, he is Xunzi. Xunzi, formerly known as Xun Kuang, his family was originally surnamed Xun, but later changed his surname because of the war.
Xunzi was a famous scholar during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and his ideas had a profound impact on later generations.
Although Xunzi has a pivotal position in the field of Confucianism, his two most well-known ** are both Legalists and celebrities, what is going on?
Xunzi's thought advocates the "separation of heaven and man", and he believes that heaven and man are independent of each other and have no direct connection. He also put forward the idea that "nature is inherently evil", believing that human nature is evil and needs to be changed through education and etiquette.
In the social context of the time, these ideas were undoubtedly a challenge to the traditional Confucian concept.
Xunzi traveled to various countries, and he served as a teacher in the Jixia School Palace of the Qi State and was widely respected. In the state of Chu, Xunzi received the attention of Chunshenjun Huang Xie and was appointed as the Lanling Order.
During this time, he accepted two famous **, Li Si and Han Feizi. These two ** later made extremely high achievements in the field of Legalism and became representatives of Legalism.
Although Li Si and Han Feizi studied under Xunzi, they did not completely inherit Xunzi's Confucianism, but developed their own Legalist thought.
Their ideology advocates "governing the country according to law" and emphasizes the strictness and fairness of the law, which is very different from Xunzi's Confucianism. However, it is precisely this different thinking that has enabled Li Si and Han Feizi to achieve outstanding achievements in the field of Legalism.
Xunzi's other ** Zhang Cang, although he did not make a name for himself in the field of legalism like Li Si and Han Feizi, he became an important politician in the Western Han Dynasty and helped Liu Bang establish the Han Dynasty.
This shows that although Xunzi's ** have achieved something in the field of Legalism, they are still influenced by Xunzi's Confucianism.
Xunzi's ideas were not widely recognized at the time, probably because his ideas were too advanced and conflicted greatly with the Confucian concepts of the time.
With the passage of history, Xunzi's thought has gradually been valued and studied by the academic community. It has been recognized that Xunzi's ideas are of great significance for understanding ancient Chinese society and history.
Xunzi, the representative of Confucianism, although his two most well-known ** are both Legalists and celebrities, this does not affect his influence on later generations.
Author: Wang Gongjian.