| Although Xunzi’s thoughts had slump development early, it indeed has profound and lasting influence on later generations. As Liang Qichao points out,"All the classics have come from Xunzi ever since Han Dynasty, and most of the fourteenth erudite scholars (boshi) affiliate themselves with teachings of Xunzi. From East Han to Tang Dynasty, Confucianism has been so disintegrating that all the teachings just sought living from Xunzi’s thoughts, no matter what is right or wrong." From Qing till now, teachings of Xunzi have experienced a golden time, but at the same time have been castigated greatly. As Tan Sitong says,"All the theories during the two thousands of years have been teachings of Xunzi."Xunzi is so famous and powerful because he has put forward a method to address the current social maladies, as can be seen in his thoughts of Zhengming. Inherited from Confucius, Xunzi extended the theory of Zhengming into a theory of "following the ancient terms and reforming the new terms". That is, on the one hand, a king should abide by the old establishments; on the other hand, he should also create new ones to answer for the immediate problems. It is in this light that Xunzi respects how the later kings form the terminology. His aim is to unify "following later kings" and "following ancient kings" together into an ideal unity. In this way, the ancient Tao is open to immediate eyes and interpreted in a historical narrative.Zhengming can be seen as a theory of hermeneutics, and its aim is to address ethical and political problems of everyday life. So Zhengming can be divided into three language levels:the meta-language, the object-language, and the object-domain. Meta-language gives interpretation to the object-language, which in turn points to the object-domain. The three language levels are generalized by "the reason for having terms, together with the means through which similarities and differences are found, and the fundamental principles in applying terms to things." As for the reason for having terms, it is the realistic aims in earthy life, and it belongs to the object-domain; as for the means through which similarities and differences are found, they are series of ethical language and belong to object-language; as for the fundamental principles in applying terms to things, they include the agreement making and becoming customary, easy understanding without contrary to the reality, and investigating the realities to determine the numbers, all of which are interpretation of object-language and belong to meta-language.The historic thought of Zhengming is centralized in mata-language. The basic principle of formulating the relation between terms and reality is the agreement making and becoming customary that means not contrary to old agreement while transforming customary and creating new agreements in the historical process. The method of following old terms and creating new ones is illuminated by the principle of easy understanding without contrary to the reality. It reflects the temporality in the subject’s thinking about the world. The temporality can be seen in the two words:the easiness and the not contrary. The first reflects the subject’s cautiousness in calling into a new time-space structure, and the second describes the subject’s peacefulness. The two feelings are the represents of the experience of Tao. In this way, the thinking of respectfulness and happiness, as well as the discrimination between crisis and refined essence, both are description of acting according to Ren and Yi with sincerity in the object-language. They can be interpreted by the temporality presented by easy understanding without contrary to the reality in the meta-language.Ren, Yi and sincerity constitute a series of important relationship of terms and reality, that is, the relationship of knowing Tao and approving Tao. Approving Tao represents a type of terms about values, and knowing Tao represents the heart’s experience with Tao in object-language. Another function of heart in object-language is knowing the heaven, and it is related with the type of terms about knowledge. The two parts of heart’s function and the related types of terms constitute the system of relationships of terms and reality in reflection. This types of reflective systems of language are all included in the type of terms called appellation terms (Kuang wei zhi ming), which are most near and also interpreted directly by meta-language.Apart from appellation terms, there are still two types of terms called terms to praise or blame, and terms to call objects. The terms to praise or blame is got from the immediate experience of Tao before reflection. But in Xunzi’s reflective language, the topic about this langrage has been part of appellation terms. So litter has been talked about this type of terms about values. As for the terms to call objects, they are got from apperception that is juxtaposed by the immediate experience of Tao. Similarly, this type of terms about knowledge can also be talked about as part of appellation terms.Object-language is a series of ethical language and points towards realistic object-domain, which unfolds itself in a way of political philosophy. In the object-domain, Yi of Rituals is developed from Yi in object-language. At the same time, loyalty and consideration is also developed from personality of exemplary person. It is because the interpretation of Yi in meta-language that Yi of Rituals has its own dimension of freedom and equality, which has been conflicting with the principles of emphasizing the roots of Rituals in object-domain. In a word, the conflict between personal freedom and the emphasized historical dimension is the main question in object-domain that can find its roots in meta-language in which subject is highlighted over temporality. However, this order is subverted by Xunzi in object-domain, maybe from the reason of appealing for political unification. This in turn leads to the unbalance of Xunzi’s political theory, such as the unbalance of justice and sympathy, as well as that of Rituals and punishment, and that of kingcraft and overbearing.The main innovative points are as follows:1. putting forward the language levels in Xunzi’s thoughts of Zhengming, from which a system of hermeneutics is unfolded.2. regarding the language levels of Zhengming is reflective, as is different from the language before reflection. This makes the discourse about value theory not related with any emotional factor.3. a structure of temporality characterized by priority of subject has been found in the meta-language level. This give birth to the whole series of ethical and political language structure.4. two systems of values and knowledge are discriminated in the object-language. In this way, Yi and Rituals are divided clearly from human nature.5. a dimension of freedom and equality of Yi of Rituals has been found in the object-domain. In this way, the unity of justice and sympathy has been put forward. In addition, the ethical consequences of violating the order of priority decided in the meta-language level has been pointed out. |
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