What are Xunzi's deeds?

Xunzi, named Qing, also known as Zhao Bianyi (located in Xinjiang, Linyi and Jiexian in Shaanxi Province) at the end of the Warring States Period. In the process of summarizing and criticizing a hundred schools of thought, Xunzi enriched the ideological and theoretical system of Confucianism and became a famous thinker at the end of the Warring States Period.

Xunzi's boyhood was in the Warring States period when China's social culture underwent drastic changes and transformations. The long-term turbulent war years and the harsh reality of tyranny have brought heavy burdens to the general public and caused serious crises to the whole society. Rebuilding a unified social order and restoring reasonable interpersonal norms became the development needs of society and people's urgent yearning at that time. As a teenager, Xunzi witnessed the cruel reality and people's suffering, and was determined to change the reality. He read hundreds of theories day and night and grasped the similarities and differences of various schools of thought with his heart. Facing the theory that a hundred schools of thought contend has its reasons, Xunzi discussed the contention of a hundred schools of thought and explained the disadvantages of each school in detail. In the reflection of social culture, he formed his own unique understanding by expounding the cultural value with ceremony as the core feature. Among hundred schools of thought's theories, Xunzi paid special attention to Confucianism and Confucius, and admired the great achievements of ancient Yao Shunyu. In order to deal with the crisis of the times and revive St. Wang Zhidao, Xunzi pointed out that to save the real crisis and rebuild social order, it is necessary to "take obedience as the law, take danger as the law, think of it as the law, and take Zigong as the law".

In order to enrich his ideological knowledge, Xunzi left Zhao and came to Yan with the desire to save the world. During Xunzi's stay in Yan State, Yan Wang and Zi Zhi criticized Xunzi's views and ignored them. Facing the cold reception and setbacks in life and the chaos in Yan State, in 264 BC, the young Xunzi decided to study in Gong Xue, Xia Ji, the cultural center of Qi State at that time. During the Warring States Period, in order to achieve the political goal of enriching Qiang Bing and dominating the Central Plains, the rulers of Qi established Jixia Xuegong near the capital Jimen to attract scholars from all over the world and explore the way of governing the country.

Xia Ji Gong Xue is a research institution that accommodates many schools of thought. It not only recruits domestic scholars, but also recruits scholars from neighboring countries. Thanks to a series of encouraging measures taken by the rulers of Qi State, Gong Xue, Xia Ji attracted scholars from all over the country with its generous treatment, relaxed environment, numerous schools and rich activities, and became an academic center at that time. Many famous thinkers, such as Mencius and Zou Yan, have been to Xia Ji to give lectures and talk about politics. When Xunzi came to Qi from Yan State, Gong Xue of Xia Ji was in his heyday. Xunzi, in his prime of life, showed his talents and profound thoughts in front of academic masters with his refreshing academic views and debating style, which was valued and affirmed by Mr. Xia Ji. It is under the guidance of various academic masters that Xunzi bases himself on the position of Confucianism, absorbs the strengths of hundreds of schools and constantly enriches his theoretical system.

During his study tour in Jixia Academy, Xunzi listened to the speeches of famous teachers extensively and mastered the characteristics of a hundred schools of thought contending in many aspects. He presided over the Jixia Forum for 24 years. After Qi Wang Jian succeeded to the throne, the state affairs were in chaos and the regime fell into the hands of Qi Wang. Xunzi was attacked by a handful of people because he was involved with the king. In 255 BC, he had to accept the appointment of Huang Xie, Shen Jun of Chu State in the spring, as the order of Lanling of Chu State (now Lanling Town, Cangshan County, Shandong Province).

Xunzi spent his later years in political adversity. He has a gift for managing the world, but he has never been taken seriously. At that time, there were many outstanding disciples who studied with Xunzi. Among them, Reese and Han Fei are two disciples of Xunzi. In the long-term study with Xunzi, they are familiar with the general trend of the world and know the general plan of governing the country. Li Si, with his outstanding talent, was highly valued by Ying Zheng, the king of Qin, and gained a prominent position, making great contributions to the unification of Qin State. Han Fei was born in a noble family in Korea. When he studied with Xunzi, he emphatically accepted Xunzi's thought of attaching importance to law and put forward the ruling method of "law, technique and power", and became a famous representative of legalists in the pre-Qin period.

Xun Kuang is knowledgeable. On the basis of inheriting early Confucianism, he absorbed the strengths of various schools and comprehensively reformed them, established his own ideological system and developed the ancient materialism tradition. Xunzi regarded heaven, earth, sun, moon and stars as natural things, which changed naturally according to certain laws. This is a simple materialistic thought. It is rare that Xunzi had such a progressive idea before 2000. He not only denied the power of gods, but also advocated that human power could conquer the sky. People want to control heaven, and people can "control destiny and use it", which is very different from other schools at that time. This thought was very progressive at that time and played a positive role.

In 238 BC, King Gao Lie of Chu died, and Yin Liyuan took the opportunity to kill Chun Shen Jun. After Chun's death, Xunzi was also deposed and no longer served as the Lanling Order. Since then, Xunzi has lived in Lanling. During this period, Xunzi comprehensively summarized his academic thoughts, systematically combed his inheritance and development of Confucianism and comprehensive criticism of a hundred schools of thought, and wrote a book of tens of thousands of words, which is Xunzi.

Xunzi's life was spent in war and turmoil. He is deeply aware of the development trend of the real society towards unity. In the critical summary of a hundred schools of thought contend, he provided theoretical argumentation and practical guidance for the upcoming feudal unified social system with profound theoretical thinking and incisive dialectical theory.

Sima Qian regarded Xun and Meng as the revival and glory of Confucius' learning in the adversity of the Warring States period. "The world for the warring states period, Confucianism is scarce. However, between Qilu and Qilu, scholars are not alone. On the occasion of Wei and Xuan, Mencius, among them, polished according to Confucius' work to show that he learned from this world. " Liu Xiang regards Xunzi as the main successor of Confucian classics. But unfortunately, no one commented on Xunzi before the Tang Dynasty, so that "Xunzi's book has no luster for thousands of years". In the Tang Dynasty, Yang Shu compiled and annotated Xunzi, which can be described as the hero of spreading Xunzi. Yang Jian regards Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi as descendants of Confucianism, and thinks that "Monk expounded the former and Xun Qing inspired the latter", and "his book is also full of six classics, which glorifies Confucius". In the Song and Ming Daoism, which emphasized the inheritance of Daoism and the study of mind and nature, Xunzi advocated the theory of evil nature and criticized Meng Si or his legalist disciples. Therefore, in Confucianism of Song and Ming Dynasties, Xunzi was generally despised. Zhu even commented on Xunzi with contempt, so that Xunzi was expelled from Confucianism and returned to Legalism. In sharp contrast, the book Mencius, which has been in the department, was required to enter the study of Confucian classics in the Tang Dynasty, and the trend of "upgrading" was a foregone conclusion in the Song Dynasty, ranking among the thirteen classics of Confucian classics and being praised by Zhu as one of the four books, thus establishing its orthodox position and revered position in Confucianism.

After the mid-Qing Dynasty, textual criticism, which opposed Song studies and attached importance to classical textual research, flourished, and Xunzi was revived, which also meant rehabilitating Xunzi who was degraded and suppressed by Song studies. A group of scholars began to pay attention to and study Xunzi and Xunzi. Such as Xie Yong's Notes on Xunzi, Wang Zhong's General Theory of Xunqing Zi and Wang Xianqian's Collection of Xunzi, Xunzi has become a magnificent scenery. In the revival movement of Xunzi from the middle of Qing Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty, people affirmed Xunzi's position in the history of Confucianism, and thought that Xunzi's evil nature had different starting points from Mencius' good nature, but their purport was the same. Mencius "wants to be perfect" and Xunzi "wants to be a man and is willing to be good". After textual research, Wang Zhong came to a conclusion and firmly believed that "Xun Qing's learning originated from Confucius and made great contributions to Confucian classics".

Xunzi is an outstanding inheritor and innovator of Confucianism. He is an important town that can clearly oppose Legalism, criticize Qin politics, and unswervingly maintain and carry forward Confucian academic thoughts and social and political ideals under the background of chaos and disputes in the warring states period.