『순자(荀子)』에서의 겸(謙) - 「중니(仲尼)」편과 「신도(臣道)」편을 중심으로 - (Qian (謙) in the Xunzi (荀子))

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국중국학회
· 수록지 정보 : 중국학보 / 76호 / 459 ~ 476페이지
· 저자명 : 김도일

초록

Gyeom son (謙遜, qian xun in Chinese) is a traditional character trait in East Asian societies. It is an attitude, behavior, or a tendency not to boast of one’s merits, but instead to respect others by lowering oneself. This character trait is considered the manifestation of a noble personality when displayed by a person of high social status or exceptional social distinction. On the other hand, it is also widely believed that regardless of one’s social position or talent, one can maintain harmonious social life by having this character trait. However, it does not seem that everyone is clearly aware of the reason why one has to be gyeom son. For it is difficult to pin down the moral characteristic of this character trait. Among many relevant difficulties are two particular issues that this paper focuses on. However, this paper does not discuss gyeom son in the contemporary context, but it examines the original form of the character trait in early Chinese thought, qian (謙), especially in the context of the Xunzi.
In one passage from the Zhong ni (仲尼) chapter of the Xunzi, qian seems to be presented as an expression of selfish interest. Qian is here suggested as an attitude and a code of conduct that king's subjects should adopt precisely in order to be favored and chosen by the king. Understood literally in this way, qian in the Xunzi may amount to nothing other than a selfish art of living disguised as a moral virtue. In other words, it could be a sham that raises the problem of hypocrisy where a selfish motivation is hidden to make one’s attitude, inclination, or behavior seem moral. For convenience, this problem is referred to as “the problem of hypocrisy.” This paper shows exactly how this problem arises in the context of the Xunzi and examine if it can be resolved within Xunzi’s own system of thought.
In the meantime, it is possible to think of a situation where the motivation for qian may not be wholly moral, but not quite hypocritical, either. For example, a person could defer to her superior as a matter of li (禮), one of the core principles in early Confucian thought, but she also keeps in mind personal benefits that may be gained through a good relationship with the superior. Such a person is not completely hypocritical. However, strictly speaking, her motivation is partially tainted by her selfish interest, and she has partially lost moral purity. Here, for convenience, this problem is referred to as “the problem of non-purity.” This paper shows how this problem arises in the context of the Xunzi in connection with qian and examine if the problem can be resolved within Xunzi’s own system of thought.

영어초록

Gyeom son (謙遜, qian xun in Chinese) is a traditional character trait in East Asian societies. It is an attitude, behavior, or a tendency not to boast of one’s merits, but instead to respect others by lowering oneself. This character trait is considered the manifestation of a noble personality when displayed by a person of high social status or exceptional social distinction. On the other hand, it is also widely believed that regardless of one’s social position or talent, one can maintain harmonious social life by having this character trait. However, it does not seem that everyone is clearly aware of the reason why one has to be gyeom son. For it is difficult to pin down the moral characteristic of this character trait. Among many relevant difficulties are two particular issues that this paper focuses on. However, this paper does not discuss gyeom son in the contemporary context, but it examines the original form of the character trait in early Chinese thought, qian (謙), especially in the context of the Xunzi.
In one passage from the Zhong ni (仲尼) chapter of the Xunzi, qian seems to be presented as an expression of selfish interest. Qian is here suggested as an attitude and a code of conduct that king's subjects should adopt precisely in order to be favored and chosen by the king. Understood literally in this way, qian in the Xunzi may amount to nothing other than a selfish art of living disguised as a moral virtue. In other words, it could be a sham that raises the problem of hypocrisy where a selfish motivation is hidden to make one’s attitude, inclination, or behavior seem moral. For convenience, this problem is referred to as “the problem of hypocrisy.” This paper shows exactly how this problem arises in the context of the Xunzi and examine if it can be resolved within Xunzi’s own system of thought.
In the meantime, it is possible to think of a situation where the motivation for qian may not be wholly moral, but not quite hypocritical, either. For example, a person could defer to her superior as a matter of li (禮), one of the core principles in early Confucian thought, but she also keeps in mind personal benefits that may be gained through a good relationship with the superior. Such a person is not completely hypocritical. However, strictly speaking, her motivation is partially tainted by her selfish interest, and she has partially lost moral purity. Here, for convenience, this problem is referred to as “the problem of non-purity.” This paper shows how this problem arises in the context of the Xunzi in connection with qian and examine if the problem can be resolved within Xunzi’s own system of thought.

참고자료

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