Introduction
Xun Kuang (Chinese: 荀況; c. 310 – c. 235 BC, alt. c. 314 – c. 217 BC), also widely known as Xunzi(荀子), was a Chinese Confucian philosopher and writer who lived during the Warring States period and contributed to the Hundred Schools of Thought. A book known as the Xunzi is traditionally attributed to him. His works survive in an excellent condition, and were a major influence in forming the official state doctrines of the Han dynasty, but his influence waned during the Tang dynasty relative to that of Mencius.
Xun Kuang, Wikipedia
Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning
《荀子·劝学》(III)
A gentleman learns by hearing in his ears and remembering in his heart and is manifested in his dignified demeanour and actions in accordance with etiquette. Every move, even the smallest of words and deeds, can be exemplary.
君子之学也，入乎耳，着乎心，布乎四体，形乎动静。端而言，蝡而动，一可以为法则。
A snob learns to listen to his mouth from ear to ear, with only four inches apart, and how can that sound his seven-foot frame?
小人之学也，入乎耳，出乎口；口耳之间，则四寸耳，曷足以美七尺之躯哉！
While the ancients learned to be moral, the present-day people learn only to show off to others.
A gentleman learns to perfect himself.
A snob learns to show and claptrap, uses learning as a gift to please people like poultry and calves.
古之学者为己，今之学者为人。
君子之学也，以美其身；小人之学也，以为禽犊。
Therefore, it is called frivolity when no one asks you to teach,
and it is called nagging to answer two when someone asks one.
A gentleman’s reply should be like an echo in an empty valley, no more, no less, and just right.
故不问而告谓之傲，问一而告二谓之囋。傲、非也，囋、非也；君子如向矣。
There is no more convenient way to learn than to be close to your mentor.
The literature on etiquette and music, though legalistic, appears distant.
The literature of poetry and literature, while quaint, is not close to reality.
The historical literature “Spring and Autumn” is subtle but not detailed enough.
Learning to be a gentleman by following the example of a good teacher enables one to understand the world in a comprehensive way.
That’s why it’s so convenient to learn than to be close to your mentor.
学莫便乎近其人。礼乐法而不说，诗书故而不切，春秋约而不速。
方其人之习君子之说，则尊以遍矣，周于世矣。故曰：学莫便乎近其人。
The easiest way to learn is to reverence your mentor, followed by reverence for manners. If one does not revere the teacher at the top, but not the manners at the bottom, and only reads some miscellaneous books and explains the literary classics, then one is only a shallow student of literature for the rest of his life.
学之经莫速乎好其人，隆礼次之。
上不能好其人，下不能隆礼，安特将学杂识志，顺诗书而已耳。
则末世穷年，不免为陋儒而已。
The shortest way to integrate the wisdom of the sages and to seek the root of righteousness is to start with the rituals and laws.
It was like bending five fingers to lift the collar of a leather robe, and with a downward stroke, the fur was completely smooth.
If one doesn’t care about the etiquette but just acts according to the ancient literature alone, it is just like measuring the water of a river with fingers, pounding millet with a dagger-axe, or taking something from a rice pot with a cone.
Therefore, one who honours etiquette, even if he is not thoroughly knowledgeable about learning, can still become a moral and cultivated person.
Without etiquette, even if one is sensible and eloquent, one is nothing more than a shallow Confucian student with no real cultivation mentally and physically.
将原先王，本仁义，则礼正其经纬蹊径也。
若挈裘领，诎五指而顿之，顺者不可胜数也。
不道礼宪，以诗书为之，譬之犹以指测河也，以戈舂黍也，以锥餐壶也，不可以得之矣。故隆礼，虽未明，法士也；不隆礼，虽察辩，散儒也。
If anyone comes to you to ask you about unseemly matters, do not answer;
if he comes to tell you about unseemly matters, do not pursue them;
if he talks about unseemly matters before you, do not engage in them;
if he is brutal and contentious, do not argue with him.
Therefore, reception must be given only if it is in the way of righteousness; and if it is not, avoid it.
问楛者，勿告也；告楛者，勿问也；说楛者，勿听也。有争气者，勿与辩也。
故必由其道至，然后接之；非其道则避之。
Therefore, only those who are respectful and courteous can talk to them about the purpose of the sermon.
For those who are well-spoken, only the content of the sermon can be spoken to.
Only with a sincere attitude can we discuss the profound meaning of the Tao.
故礼恭，而后可与言道之方；辞顺，而后可与言道之理；色从而后可与言道之致。
To talk to someone you can’t talk to, that’s called impulsivity;
to not talk to someone you can talk to, that’s called negligence;
to not aware the other person respond, but to talk casually is called blindness.
Therefore, the gentleman must not be impulsive, nor negligent, nor blind, but cautious of every person who comes to him for instruction.
The Book of Song says, “What is praised is that which is not impetuous or slack.” That’s what it says.
故未可与言而言，谓之傲；可与言而不言，谓之隐；不观气色而言，谓瞽。故君子不傲、不隐、不瞽，谨顺其身。诗曰：“匪交匪舒，天子所予。”此之谓也。
If one of a hundred arrows does not hit the target, it cannot be considered a good shot;
if you drive a car and horse for a thousand miles, you are only half a step away from completing it, it cannot be considered a good driver;
if you do not understand the ethical norms, if you do not adhere to the way of benevolence and righteousness as one, it cannot be considered a good study.
百发失一，不足谓善射；千里蹞步不至，不足谓善御；伦类不通，仁义不一，不足谓善学。
Learning is something that requires a lot of concentration, and it’s a common person to stop learning for a while.
With few good deeds while many bad deeds, and Jie, Zhou, and Tuo (famous tyrants in ancient China) are people like that.
The person, who is able to grasp what he or she has learned comprehensively and thoroughly, could be considered as a scholar.
学也者，固学一之也。一出焉，一入焉，涂巷之人也；其善者少，不善者多，桀纣盗跖也；全之尽之，然后学者也。
The gentleman knows that learning is not perfect without being comprehensive, so he reads many books in order to be able to understand, to think and explore in order to understand, to follow the example of his mentors and friends, to remove his own wrong habits in order to maintain good character.
君子知夫不全不粹之不足以为美也，故诵数以贯之，思索以通之，为其人以处之，除其害者以持养之。
This makes: as long as things are not right, the eye does not want to see, the ear does not want to hear, the mouth does not want to speak, the mind does not want to think.
When a person reaches the ideal of being completely absorbed in learning, it is as if his eyes love colour, his ears love music, his mouth loves food, and his heart wants to own the world.
If he had done so, then he would have had no evil thoughts in the face of the selfish lusts of power;
he would not have yielded in spite of the multitude of men, and all things under heaven could not shake the faith.
To live as such, to die as such. This is called having virtue and integrity.
使目非是无欲见也，使口非是无欲言也，使心非是无欲虑也。
及至其致好之也，目好之五色，耳好之五声，口好之五味，心利之有天下。
是故权利不能倾也，群众不能移也，天下不能荡也。生乎由是，死乎由是，夫是之谓德操。
One has the virtue and integrity to be steadfast, and then one can be adaptable.
When one can be steadfast and adaptable, then one is mature and perfect.
At that time, the heavens showed their light, the earth their vastness, and the nobility of the gentleman lay in the perfection of his virtues.
德操然后能定，能定然后能应。能定能应，夫是之谓成人。天见其明，地见其光，君子贵其全也。
Background Introduction
The Hundred Schools of Thought (Chinese: 諸子百家; pinyin: zhūzǐ bǎijiā) were philosophies and schools that flourished from the 6th century to 221 B.C. during the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period of ancient China.
An era of great cultural and intellectual expansion in China, it was fraught with chaos and bloody battles, but it was also known as the Golden Age of Chinese philosophy because a broad range of thoughts and ideas were developed and discussed freely. This phenomenon has been called the Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought (百家爭鳴/百家争鸣; bǎijiā zhēngmíng; pai-chia cheng-ming; “hundred schools contend”). The thoughts and ideas discussed and refined during this period have profoundly influenced lifestyles and social consciousness up to the present day in East Asian countries and the East Asian diaspora around the world. The intellectual society of this era was characterized by itinerant scholars, who were often employed by various state rulers as advisers on the methods of government, war, and diplomacy.
Related Updates | Traditional Chinese Culture
- Extract | Xunzi, Human Nature is Evil《荀子·性恶》(1)
- Extract | Xunzi, Exhortation to Self-cultivation 《荀子·修身》(I)
- Extract | Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning 《荀子·劝学》(III)
- Extract | Xunzi, Exhortation to Learning 《荀子·劝学》(II)
- Why am I posting extracts of ancient China?
Keep Wild and Carry On 
Leave a comment