Comparative Studies Of Liji’Wangzhi And Xunzi’Wangzhi

Since the Song Dynasty,LijiWangzhi was looked as an independent literature to research by subsequent academicians.The political system it recorded was looked as mould that ancient emperors govern the country.And it includes confucian thinking model about governance of the country.Especially,in the Qing Dynasty,Liji’wanzghi was looked as historical basis about political reform by reformers,so its position was greatly enhanced.Besides,Pre-Qin thinker Xunzi with higher ideological attainments explains the governing thought about Wanzghi.The generations of Xunzi’Wangzhi and Liji’Wangzhi are similar,and they have the same theme,and they have succession in relation to development inside the Confucian system.Liji’Wangzhi has been written in different ages.By integrating the research results of predecessors and examining the text,it can be concluded that it was produced in the warring States period and was written before the system of Xunzi’Wangzhi.From the theoretical basis of their emergence,the political system described in Liji’Wangzhi,is based on the theory of the unity of heaven and man by Confucius and Meng.It hopes to achieve a social order in accordance with heaven through etiquette.However,the"wang dao" explained in Xunzi ’Wangzhi "is based on Xunzi’s theory of the separation of heaven and man and the nature of evil,so it is reasonable to incorporate the rule of law into his political system.Because the theoretical basis supporting them is different,they also have obvious differences in the way of discussing national governance.From the text content,Liji ’Wangzhi establishes a set of systematic national governance model,which divides the political system of ancient emperors into the fields of nobility and Lu,enfeoffment,patrol,field hunting,sacrifice,funeral,official,criminal law,social assistance,etc.,which belongs to system design.However,the system of Xunzi’Wangzhi focuses on how to realize the righteousness of "wang dao".He advocates the two means of "appointing talents" and "combining rites and laws" to deal with state affairs,which belongs to political practice.From Liji’Wangzhi to Xunzi’Wangzhi,the system of Kings,it mainly reflects the Confucian thinking and exploration of the mode of state governance in the historical environment of the warring states period.The thought of combining rites and laws advocated by Xunzi is very operable.Since Confucianism was established as orthodox thought in Han Dynasty,it has been used in national governance for a long time and has exerted a profound influence on later generations.Compare Liji ’Wangzhi and Xunzi’Wangzhi,which can help to understand the development of Confucian political thought in the warring States period.And it can reflect the changing trend of social and political structure in that period.The combination of etiquette and legislation embodied in the two documents is of reflective significance to contemporary society.