Source: On Rites by Xunzi during the Warring States Period.
Excerpt from the original:
Polite people are willing to treat life and death. Life is the beginning of man; Death is the end of mankind. All the good things are done in the end, and human nature is finished. Therefore, a gentleman respects the beginning and is cautious in the end. Consistency is a gentleman's way and a letter of courtesy and righteousness.
A husband who would rather live than die respects his knowledge and slows down his ignorance. It is also a traitor's way and a rebellious heart. The gentleman takes care of the hidden valley with rebellious heart, but he is still ashamed of it. The situation is close to what he is now!
Vernacular translation:
Rites are strictly about life and death. Life is the beginning of life; Death is the end of life. If the ending and the beginning are handled well, then the way to be a man is complete. Therefore, a gentleman takes the beginning of life seriously and the end of life cautiously. Treat this end and beginning as if they were the same thing. This is a gentleman's principle and a specific provision of courtesy and righteousness.
Paying attention to human life and ignoring human death means respecting the consciousness of the living and ignoring the unconsciousness of the dead. This is the principle of evil people and a betrayal of others' hearts. A gentleman is ashamed to treat slaves, children and other humble people with the heart of betraying others, not to mention serving his respected monarch and dear parents with this heart!
Extended data:
Creative background:
Xunzi went to Gong Xue, Xia Ji, Qi for three times, and was later ordered by Chu Lanling (now Shandong Lanling). Xunzi developed Confucianism and advocated the theory of evil nature, which is often compared with Mencius' theory of good nature. But some people think that Xunzi is the bane of Chu.
So Xunzi resigned from Chu and came to Zhao to worship him as Shangqing. Later, someone in Chu advised Chu Xiangchun and Shen Jun to let Xunzi return to Chu. So Chun sent someone back to Xunzi and asked him to be reinstated as the magistrate of Lanling County. In 238 BC, Chun Shen Jun was killed by Li Yuan, and Xunzi was just an official.
Xunzi 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. The existing On Xun Gigi Lai involves many aspects such as philosophy, logic, politics and morality.
On the view of nature, he opposes the belief in ghosts and gods, affirms that the laws of nature are not transferred by human will, and puts forward that people can prosper only if they conform to the laws of nature; On the issue of human nature, he put forward the theory of "evil nature", arguing that human nature has two parts: "sex" and "falsehood". Sex is an evil animal instinct, and falsehood (artificial) is a good education of etiquette and music, which denies the moral concept of talent.
Emphasize the influence of acquired environment and education on people; In political thought, he adhered to the Confucian principle of rule by courtesy, attached importance to people's material needs, and advocated the combination of economic development and rule by courtesy. In epistemology, he admits that human thinking can reflect reality. But there is a tendency to despise sensory function.