Essay of Xun Zi (Hsun Tzu) "On Learning" 荀子 劝学篇 -- Cantonese reading by James Chan
I'd like to share the practical wisdom of the prominent Chinese Confucian philosopher, Xun Zi 荀子 (spelled Hsun Tzu before 1949 or Xunzi today) in his essay "On Learning" 劝学篇. Xun Zi (312-230 B.C.) lived right before China was unified as one empire by the First Emperor of China 秦始皇帝 in 221 B.C.
Like other Chinese philosophers who lived during the Warring States Period in ancient China (475-221 B.C.), Xun Zi proposed his ideas on how peoples and competing kingdoms could live in harmony. He was well-known for his view that human nature was fundamentally "evil," (性恶论) as opposed to his older contemporary Confucian philosopher, Mencius (Meng Zi), who argued that human nature was fundamentally "good" (性善论).
I am not here to decides who is right. In my mind, Xun Zi believed that human nature was not fundamentally "good." For that very reason, he advocated using education and life-long, moral learning to tame the wayward-prone human spirit and thus help maintain social order and a civilized society.
Xun Zi wrote a number of philosophical essays. His essay "On Learning" 劝学篇 was required reading in our Chinese literature class in the 1970s in Hong Kong. Even since I read "On Learning," when I was 17 years old, I have not been able to forget its content. Xun Zi's words, ideas, and his ideals often come to mind during the day or at night in my sleep. By reading Xun Zi's "On Learning" in my native Cantonese, I would like to come to full closure on how much he has haunted me, and how much I agree with him.
You can find at least two very good English-language translation of "On Learning." One is the translation by Burton Watson of Columbia University in his book, Hsun Tzu: Basic Writings (New York: Columbia University Press, 1963, begining page 15). A more recent translation is by Eric L. Hutton of the University of Utach in the book, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy edited by Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 2001, pages 256 to 261). an English translation of "On Learning" by Burton Watson or by Eric Hutton on the Internet. You can view the original Chinese with explanation (also in Chinese) on the Internet in China at: http://blog.bioon.net/user1/2942/archives/2006/51791.shtml.
In the following, I've posted my own interpretation of "On Learning" by Xun Zi and the full text of the essay in simplified Chinese as used in Mainland China today. My English rendition is my paraphrasing Xun Zi rather than translating his text. Instead of translating Xun Zi's words, I would like to interpret his mind.
Xun Zi (Hsun Tzu) “On Learning” 荀子•劝学篇
A person interpretation by James Chan of Philadelphia
Copyright 2010 James Chan
We cannot stop learning. Just like the blue color that is derived from the indigo plant, the blue dye is bluer and better than the indigo plant itself. Ice, which is derived from water, is colder than water. If you take time and effort to twist a relatively straight piece of wood into a circular wheel, you cannot make it straight again no matter how much you try. This is because you have put in your effort over time. You can turn a piece of blunt metal into a sword by sharpening it. For all of the above reasons, if you are willing to learn something every day and reflect upon how you have benefited from it and how you can apply what you have learned, you will begin to discover the truth of many things. You will begin to tell right from wrong.
Until you climb to the top of a mountain, you will not know how high is the sky. If you don’t travel to the bottom of a valley, you will not know how deep is the earth. If you don’t read the great works written by learned men and women of all ages and all lands, you will never realize how vast is knowledge.
We are born into different races, tribes, and ethnic communities. When we were babies, we cried the same way and smiled the same way. But when we grow up in our respective nations, cultures, and ethnic communities, we have become different in our speech and manners. This is because our unique education has made us so. Learning over time has made us what we are. Therefore, do not stop learning. Do not stop improving yourself by educating yourself.
Be true to yourself, keep learning, and discover who you are and how to live and get along with other human beings. If the gods know that you are earnestly learning to be a better person, they will bless you and give you a good life. The gods are in fact the rules of Nature. By following Nature, and by learning and reflecting on what is truthful, good, and beautiful, you too will come close to Nature. We reap what we sow.
I tried thinking matters through all day without looking up things and I got nowhere. By earnestly trying to learn and seek answers, I acquired new knowledge. I tried standing on my toes in the hope that I could see things at a distance. I finally decided to walk up the mountains and I was indeed able to see things that are far away. When you wave on top of the hill, your arms have not grown longer but more people can you waving. When you cry with the wind on your back, your voice has not become faster and louder but you reach more people. Why try to walk a thousand miles if you can get there by car? Why swim across the oceans if you can travel around the world by ship or by plane? We humans are not born any more superior than animals. We have become superior because we learn and we know how to learn.