Translations : Xunzi 23.10 English - Chinese Text Project

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This thread relates to:

《荀子·性惡》 #10

2016-11-18 02:13:35Xunzi 23.10 English
Posted by: frank091 (Frank Saunders Jr)	All of those people who desire to become good, it's because their spontaneous nature is bad. The flimsy yearn for substance; the ugly yearn for beauty; the narrow yearn for breadth [of knowledge]; the poor yearn for wealth; the lowly yearn for honor---if they lack it in themselves, they surely seek it from without. Similarly, the wealthy do not yearn for riches; the honored do not yearn for positions. If they have it in themselves, they will not seek it from without. If we look at it in this way, all of those people who desire to become good, it's because their spontaneous nature is bad. Now people's spontaneous nature is originally without ritual and duty, so people struggle to learn and seek to have them. Their spontaneous nature does not know ritual and duty, so they must reflect and deliberate, and seek to know it. In this way, if people's spontaneous nature is all they have, they will be without ritual and duty, and not know ritual and duty. If people lack ritual and duty, they will be disorderly. And if they don't know ritual and duty, they'll become perverse. In this way, if people's spontaneous nature is all they have, there will have perversity and chaos in them. If we look at it in this way, people's spontaneous nature is clearly bad. Their goodness is artificial.

2016-11-18 02:13:35Xunzi 23.10 English

Posted by: frank091 (Frank Saunders Jr)

All of those people who desire to become good, it's because their spontaneous nature is bad. The flimsy yearn for substance; the ugly yearn for beauty; the narrow yearn for breadth [of knowledge]; the poor yearn for wealth; the lowly yearn for honor---if they lack it in themselves, they surely seek it from without. Similarly, the wealthy do not yearn for riches; the honored do not yearn for positions. If they have it in themselves, they will not seek it from without. If we look at it in this way, all of those people who desire to become good, it's because their spontaneous nature is bad. Now people's spontaneous nature is originally without ritual and duty, so people struggle to learn and seek to have them. Their spontaneous nature does not know ritual and duty, so they must reflect and deliberate, and seek to know it. In this way, if people's spontaneous nature is all they have, they will be without ritual and duty, and not know ritual and duty. If people lack ritual and duty, they will be disorderly. And if they don't know ritual and duty, they'll become perverse. In this way, if people's spontaneous nature is all they have, there will have perversity and chaos in them. If we look at it in this way, people's spontaneous nature is clearly bad. Their goodness is artificial.

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