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2023/24 School of Chinese Research Student Seminar

荀子思想中的七情

Seven Qing in the Thought of Xunzi

Abstract:

荀子是儒家思想在戰國時期的重要思想家，我的論文嘗試分析荀子如何處理有關「七情」的問題，由此，我們可以更加深入而準確地了解他的整套思想。「七情」一詞出自《禮記‧禮運》，指「喜、怒、哀、懼、愛、惡、欲」七種情感與欲望。「七情」一詞並未見於《荀子》一書，但有關「七情」所指涉的情欲的討論卻有不少。

通過分析與討論有關不同情感的文本，我嘗試解答以下問題：在荀子思想中，「情」可以分為哪些種類？人應該要拒絕哪些情欲？又應該要滿足哪些？兩者的分別有何基礎？通過學習與人為的努力，人的情感可以怎樣得到轉化？另外，情感對於一個人的道德實踐而言，是幫助還是阻礙？又抑或是沒有關係呢？這些都是本文嘗試去處理的問題。

Xunzi was an important Confucian thinker in the Warring States period of China. My thesis tries to analyze how Xunzi understands and responds to qi qing (seven emotions) of human beings so that we might have a better and more accurate interpretation of his overall theory. The term “qi qing,” which includes joy, anger, sorrow (or sadness), fear, love, hate (or dislike) and desire, is used in the chapter of Li Yun of the Liji (the Book of Rites). The term does not appear in the text of the Xunzi. However, Xunzi does talk a lot about the various emotions and desires grouped under the term.

By investigating the passages in the Xunzi related to different emotions, I try to answer the following questions: In the thought of Xunzi, how many kinds of qing are there? What kinds of qing should be rejected? And what kinds of qing should be satisfied? What is the basis of such a difference? Through learning or human endeavour, how could feelings and emotions be changed or transformed? Also, are feelings and emotions good for one’s moral actions? Or would they hinder one from being morally good? Or do they have nothing to do with morality? These are the key questions I tackle in my thesis.