Translations : Xunzi 23.20 English - Chinese Text Project

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Discussion -> Translations -> Xunzi 23.20 English

This thread relates to:

《荀子·性惡》 #20

2016-11-18 06:13:13Xunzi 23.20 English
Posted by: frank091 (Frank Saunders Jr)	I say: They can do so, but they can't be made to. The petty person can become a gentleman, but he does not wish to become one. A gentleman can become a petty person, but he does not wish to become one. As for the petty person and the gentleman, I have not yet heard of one who cannot become the other, but those who don't change places, they can do so but they cannot be made to. So the people in the streets can become a Yu, and then become one. [But also,] the people in the streets can become a Yu, but do not necessarily become one. Even if they didn't have the ability to become one, this doesn't harm that it's possible for them to do so. One's feet could tread across the empire, though there has not yet been someone who has. A laborer, an artisan, a farmer and a merchant never could not exchange jobs with one another, but there has not yet been any able to do so. If we look at it in this way, that it's possible something can be done does not necessarily imply one's ability to do it. So even if one is unable to do so, this does not harm that it is possible for him to. In this way, ability or inability and possibility or impossibility---their differences are great, and their inability to be interchanged is clear.

2016-11-18 06:13:13Xunzi 23.20 English

Posted by: frank091 (Frank Saunders Jr)

I say: They can do so, but they can't be made to. The petty person can become a gentleman, but he does not wish to become one. A gentleman can become a petty person, but he does not wish to become one. As for the petty person and the gentleman, I have not yet heard of one who cannot become the other, but those who don't change places, they can do so but they cannot be made to. So the people in the streets can become a Yu, and then become one. [But also,] the people in the streets can become a Yu, but do not necessarily become one. Even if they didn't have the ability to become one, this doesn't harm that it's possible for them to do so. One's feet could tread across the empire, though there has not yet been someone who has. A laborer, an artisan, a farmer and a merchant never could not exchange jobs with one another, but there has not yet been any able to do so. If we look at it in this way, that it's possible something can be done does not necessarily imply one's ability to do it. So even if one is unable to do so, this does not harm that it is possible for him to. In this way, ability or inability and possibility or impossibility---their differences are great, and their inability to be interchanged is clear.

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