Xunzi Long Ceremony Thought

The rite is not only "the general spirit of Chinese culture" but also its fundamental characteristics. The rite is more important for individuals and traditional Confucianism even believes the rite to be the essence of human beings. Therefore, it is said that the rite is just what the man of noble character is ought to possess in Li Qi of Li Ji ". That is to say. the rite is what a person needs to be aware of to be a true person. No matter how times have changed, the public order and pursuing the harmony would be treasured since remotest times. "In practicing the rite of propriety, it is harmony that is prized.", the rite's codes of ethics and the order sense decide the harmony of the society. From this perspective, the rite provides the basis and principle for performing the social harmony under given conditions.The rite's content embraces double sense on the social order and the moral standard in the ideological system of Confucianism. The foundation of Chinese rite in civilization was laid since Duke of Zhou and "his system of rites". The destruction of rites system of Zhou was in Confucius' times. Confucius added humanity into the rite, and established the ideological system of cultivating the individual quality, the way of life, governing a country and putting down the world for the sake of setting up the rite of Zhou. After that. Zisi and Mencius inherited Confucianism, and regarded humanity as the essence of the rite and praised highly the moral conduct. Xunzi developed and gave free rein to Confucius' rite thinking on governing a country in the later Warring States period.Xunzi was a great master of Confucianism in the later Warring States period. "The rite of Zhou" was the core characteristic of Xunzi's ideological system, which is the theory of "emphasis on the rite" in the proper sense. Xunzi started with the theory of evil human nature, and proved the rationality, necessity and authority of the rite's existence in depth. He advocated "followed the later king", praised highly Duke of Zhou and his system of rite . regarded Duke of Zhou and Confucius as great Confucians, constructively criticized his counterparts and inherited predecessors' thought. Xunzi was influenced by the thought of the Pre-Qin philosophers on "governing Tao", accepted and absorbed those on ordering society. He formed his own ideological system on the basis of gathering these theories finally.Xunzi attached importance to the spirit of the rite. He considered that the rite would not only form a person's mind but also popularized the family, country and world. Xunzi's thought of the rite carried forward the Confucianism's tradition on the whole. He started from the social structure, and considered that the key of maintaining interpersonal relationship between "community" and "individuals" is external objective standard. So he sumed up the rite's origin, scope, essence and function in a penetrating way, attached importance to the essence of the rite and degraded Shi and Shu, laid stress on understanding and utilizing the essence of the scriptures, grasped the spiritual essence, and made the best of applying the abstract humanity regarded as the moral conduct in a flexible way. Owing to Xunzi's reform and innovation, "governing the world in the essence of the rite", the Confucian opinion, has become the core characteristic of his ideological system. What's more, with the realistic dilemma and the the integrating political trends in the later Warring States period, Xunzi rethought profoundly the traditional rite's resources, deepened the essence of the rite, restablished the relation between the rite and the law, affirmed the rite's legal status, elevated the rite's special political nature, and developed a more systematic and perfect ideological system finally.Xunzi started from his political idea, and paved a path for the development of Confucian rite in width and depth. He devoted much attention to exploiting the ideological content of the ancient kings, and struggled against the surface comprehension that didn't grasp the essence of the rite indeed. Therefore, Xunzi has become a major successor of the Confucian scriptures as the essence of the rite. But Xunzi's thought of the rite turned into the feudal dictatorship' instrument because strong emphasis is placed on the compulsory functions of the propriety. All kinds of disputes on Xunzi's doctrine arised from these.