Abstract

This chapter is a comparative study of the Guodian Confucian texts and the Xunzi 荀子 in relation to the central vision of Confucianism. Instead of conducting in-depth analysis of individual texts, the chapter surveys common concerns and key concepts across different Guodian Confucian texts. In particular, the chapter investigates the ideas of the Guodian Confucian texts on the cultivation of virtue and the relation of virtue to governance, as well as the background framework of the relationship between man and Nature or Heaven. The chapter also compares such ideas of the Guodian Confucian texts with those of the Xunzi. Through such a comparative study not only can we gain further understanding of the Guodian Confucian texts and the Xunzi, but we might also better appreciate the development and transformation of Confucian thought in Warring States China.