Go to China main page
Procursus, Military Debate 		Content created: 2014-08-30
File last modified: 2019-01-21
Go to English-only layout.
decorative graphic
picture

Human Nature Is Evil

This Selection

This brief passage contains Master Xún’s famous statement that basic human nature is “evil.” It is an argument that any modern logician would consider fallacious, but it is China’s most widely quoted logical refutation of Mencius' idealized Confucianism. (It comes from near the beginning of chapter 23 of the standard edition of Xúnzǐ’s work, a chapter usually entitled, logically enough, “Human Nature Is Evil” [Xìng È 性恶]).

This Translation

Several terms dominating this text bedevil the English translator (in this case, me), because context and convention sometimes conflict:

For linguistic details of the difficulties posed by these terms, click here.

Go to English-only layout.

Human Nature Is Evil


0. Inborn Human Nature Is Evil 性恶
Xìng È
性惡
1. … A crooked piece of wood must be tied in place, steamed, and bent if it is to be made straight. 故枸木必将待檃栝、烝、矫然后直。
Gù jǔ mù bì jiāng dài yǐn kuò、 zhēng、 jiǎo rán hòu zhí。
故枸木必將待檃栝、烝、矯然後直。
2. Blunt metal must be ground on a whetstone if it is to be made sharp. 钝金必将待砻、厉然后利。
Dùn jīn bì jiāng dài lóng、 lì rán hòu lì。
鈍金必將待礱、厲然後利。
3. In the same way, since inborn human nature is evil, it requires the guidance of teachers and laws if it is to be made upright and the mastery of etiquette and righteousness if it is to become disciplined. 今人之性恶，必将待师法然后正。 得礼义然后治。
Jīn rén zhī xìng è， bì jiāng dài shī fǎ rán hòu zhèng。 dé lǐ yì rán hòu zhì。
今人之性惡，必將待師法然後正。 得禮義然後治。
4. If people lack teachers and laws, then they are vicious and antisocial. If they lack etiquette and righteousness, then there is disorder and indiscipline. 今人无师法则偏险而不正。 无礼义则悖乱而不治。
Jīn rén wú shī fǎ zé piān xiǎn ér bù zhèng。 wú lǐ yì zé bèi luàn ér bù zhì。
今人無師法則偏險而不正。 無禮義則悖亂而不治。
5. In ancient times the sage kings knew that man’s nature was evil, inclined to viciousness and rebellion, and to disorder and indiscipline. 古者圣王以人性恶，以为偏险而不正，悖乱而不治。
Gǔ zhě shèng wáng yǐ rén xìng è， yǐ wéi piān xiǎn ér bù zhèng， bèi luàn ér bù zhì。
古者聖王以人性惡，以爲偏險而不正，悖亂而不治。
6. That is why they created etiquette and righteousness, and established laws and ordinances. It was in order to civilize people and correct their inborn human nature, in order to tame people’s inborn nature and guide them. 是以为之起礼义，制法度，以矫饰人之情性而正之， 以扰化人之情性而导之也。
Shì yǐ wéi zhī qǐ lǐ yì， zhì fǎ dù， yǐ jiǎo shì rén zhī qíng xìng ér zhèng zhī， yǐ rǎo huà rén zhī qíng xìng ér dǎo zhī yě。
是以爲之起禮義，制法度，以矯飾人之情性而正之，以擾化人之情性而導之也。
7. As a result, all people became disciplined and followed the True Way (dào 道). 始皆出于治，合于道者也。
Shǐ jiē chū yú zhì， hé yú dào zhě yě。
始皆出於治，合於道者也。
8. And so today anyone who is led by teachers and laws, who is diligent in studying, and who follows in the way of etiquette and righteousness, can become a “gentleman” (jūnzi 君子). 今人之，化师法，积文学，道礼义者，为君子。
Jīn rén zhī， huà shī fǎ， jī wén xué， dào lǐ yì zhě， wéi jūn zǐ。
今人之，化師法，積文學，道禮義者，爲君子。
9. But one who simply follows his emotions and submits to passion, violating etiquette and justice, becomes a “petty person” (xiǎorén 小人). 纵性情，安恣睢，而违礼义者，为小人。
Zòng xìng qíng， ān zì suī， ér wéi lǐ yì zhě， wéi xiǎo rén。
縱性情，安恣睢，而違禮義者，爲小人。
10. From this we can see that inborn human nature is evil, and its goodness must be acquired (lit: “artificial”). 用此观之，然则人之性恶明矣，其善者，伪也。
Yòng cǐ guān zhī， rán zé rén zhī xìng è míng yǐ， qí shàn zhě， wěi yě。
用此觀之，然則人之性惡明矣，其善者，僞也。
11. Mencius said, “Since people can be taught, their inborn nature must be good.” 孟子曰：「人之学者，其性善。」
Mèngzǐ yuē：「 rén zhī xué zhě， qí xìng shàn。」
孟子曰：「人之學者，其性善。」
12. I say it is not so. This comes from his not understanding human nature and not investigating the difference between what is inborn and what is acquired. 曰：是不然。是不及知人之性，而不察乎人之性、伪之分者也。
Yuē： shì bù rán。 shì bù jí zhī rén zhī xìng， ér bù chá hū rén zhī xìng、 wěi zhī fēn zhě yě。
曰：是不然。是不及知人之性，而不察乎人之性、僞之分者也。
13. Inborn nature is what is given by Heaven. It cannot be learned or developed through practice. 凡性者，天之就也，不可学，不可事。
Fán xìng zhě， tiān zhī jiù yě， bù kě xué， bù kě shì。
凡性者，天之就也，不可學，不可事。
14. Etiquette and righteousness, on the other hand, were created by the sage-kings. One can study and master them, one can practice them and become proficient. 礼义者，圣人之所生也，人之所学而能，所事而成者也。
Lǐ yì zhě， shèng rén zhī suǒ shēng yě， rén zhī suǒ xué ér néng， suǒ shì ér chéng zhě yě。
禮義者，聖人之所生也，人之所學而能，所事而成者也。
15. What cannot be learned or developed through practice is called inborn ability; what can be learned and mastered or what can be practiced to proficiency is what is called acquired. 不可学、不可事而在人者，谓之性。 可学而能、可事而成之在人者，谓之伪。
Bù kě xué、 bù kě shì ér zài rén zhě， wèi zhī xìng。 kě xué ér néng、 kě shì ér chéng zhī zài rén zhě， wèi zhī wěi。
不可學、不可事而在人者，謂之性。 可學而能、可事而成之在人者，謂之僞。
16. This, then, is the distinction between what is inborn and what is acquired. … 是性、伪之分也。
Shì xìng、 wěi zhī fēn yě。
是性、僞之分也。

A review quiz is available covering this item. (Link.)

Go to English-Only Layout
Return to top of page.