| | 本性: |
情性者、人治之本，禮樂所由生也。故原情性之極，禮為之防，樂為之節。性有卑謙辭讓，故制禮以適其宜；情有好惡喜怒哀樂，故作樂以通其敬。禮所以制、樂所為作者，情與性也。昔儒舊生，著作篇章，莫不論說，莫能實定。 |
| | Human nature and disposition are the foundation of human governance; they are the source from which rites and music arise. Therefore, understanding the extremes of human nature and disposition, rites serve as safeguards, and music serves as regulation. Human nature includes humility, modesty, and yielding, so rites are established to suit their appropriateness; Emotions include likes and dislikes, joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, therefore music is created to communicate reverence through them. Rites are established and music is composed for these reasons: emotion and nature. Ancient scholars such as Jiusheng, in their written works, all discussed these topics, yet none could definitively determine them.
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| | 本性: |
周人世碩以為人性有善有惡，舉人之善性，養而致之則善長；性惡，養而致之則惡長。如此，則性各有陰陽，善惡在所養焉。故世子作《養書》一篇。密子賤、漆雕開、公孫尼子之徒，亦論情性，與世子相出入，皆言性有善有惡。 |
| | Zhou Ren Shishuo believed that human nature has both good and evil; by cultivating the good aspects of a person's nature and nurturing them, goodness will flourish; If one nurtures the evil aspects of nature, then evil will grow. Thus, human nature each has yin and yang; whether good or evil depends on how it is nurtured. Therefore, Shizi composed one essay titled "Yangshu." Mizi Jian, Qidiao Kai, Gongsun Nizi and others also discussed human nature and disposition; their views were similar to those of Shizi, all stating that human nature contains both good and evil.
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| | 本性: |
孟子作《性善》之篇，以為「人性皆善，及其不善，物亂之也。」謂人生於天地，皆稟善性，長大與物交接者，放縱悖亂，不善日以生矣。 |
| | Mengzi composed a chapter titled "Xingshan," in which he argued, "Human nature is inherently good; when it becomes evil, it is due to external disturbances." He said that human beings are born under heaven and earth, all receiving an inherently good nature; as they grow up and interact with external things, if they indulge themselves recklessly and act contrary to order, evil will gradually arise.
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| | 本性: |
若孟子之言，人幼小之時，無有不善也。微子曰：「我舊云孩子，王子不出。」紂為孩子之時，微子睹其不善之性，性惡不出眾庶，長大為亂不變，故云也。羊舌食我初生之時，叔姬視之，及堂，聞其啼聲而還，曰：「其聲、豺狼之聲也，野心無親。非是莫滅羊舌氏。」遂不肯見。及長，祁勝為亂，食我與焉。國人殺食我，羊舌氏由是滅矣。紂之惡，在孩子之時；食我之亂，見始生之聲。孩子始生，未與物接，誰令悖者？丹朱土於唐宮，商均生於虞室，唐、虞之時，可比屋而封，所與接者，必多善矣，二帝之旁，必多賢也，然而丹朱慠，商均虐，並失帝統，歷世為戒。且孟子相人以眸子焉，心清而眸子瞭，心濁而眸子眊。人生目輒眊瞭，眊瞭稟之於天，不同氣也，非幼小之時瞭，長大與人接乃更眊也。性本自然，善惡有質，孟子之言情性，未為實也。 |
| | According to Mengzi's words, when people are young, there is nothing in them that is not good. Weizi said: "I used to say the child, but the Prince did not come out." When Zhou was a child, Weizi observed his evil nature; although this evil nature did not manifest among the common people when he was young, as he grew up and became rebellious without change, hence this statement. When Yangshe Shiwo was first born, his aunt Shu Ji looked at him; upon reaching the hall, she heard his crying and returned, saying: "His voice is like that of a jackal or wolf; he has wild ambitions and no affection for kin. He who does not destroy the Yangshe clan will be none other than this child." She then refused to see him. When he grew up, Qi Sheng rebelled, and Shiwo participated in it. The people of the state killed Shiwo, and thus the Yangshe clan was destroyed. Zhou's evil nature was evident even when he was a child; Shiwo's rebellion could be foreseen from the sound of his cry at birth. When a child is first born, he has not yet interacted with external things; who causes him to act contrary and rebellious? Dan Zhu was born in the Tang palace, and Shangjun was born in the Yu court. During the time of Tang and Yu, virtuous men could be found even among common households; those with whom they interacted must have been many good people, and around these two emperors there must have been numerous sages. Yet Dan Zhu was arrogant, and Shang Jun cruel; both lost their imperial lineages and became warnings for generations to come. Moreover, Mengzi judged people by their eyes: a clear heart results in bright and clear eyes; a turbid heart results in dim and dull eyes. When a person is born, their eyes are either dim or bright; this clarity or dullness is bestowed by heaven and differs in nature. It is not that the eyes were clear when young but became dim only after growing up and interacting with others. Human nature is naturally endowed, with inherent tendencies toward good or evil; Mengzi's discussion of human emotion and nature was therefore not entirely accurate.
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| | 本性: |
然而性善之論，亦有所緣。或仁或義，性術乖也；動作趨翔，性識詭也。面色或白或黑，身形或長或短，至老極死，不可變易，天性然也。皆知水土物器形性不同，而莫知善惡稟之異也。一歲嬰兒，無爭奪之心，長大之後，或漸利色，狂心悖行，由此生也。 |
| | However, the theory that human nature is inherently good also has its basis. Some may be benevolent and others righteous; this divergence arises from differences in their natures and methods. Their actions, movements, and behaviors vary—this is due to the diversity of their inherent dispositions and understanding. Facial complexions may be fair or dark, body shapes tall or short; until old age and death, these cannot change—they are determined by one's innate nature. All know that the forms and natures of water, earth, objects, and vessels differ, yet few realize that goodness or evil is also determined by innate differences. A one-year-old infant has no thoughts of contention or competition; after growing up, some gradually become greedy for profit and lust, developing reckless minds and rebellious behaviors—this arises from external influences.
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| | 本性: |
告子與孟子同時，其論性無善惡之分，譬之湍水，決之東則東，決之西則西。夫水無分於東西，猶人無分於善惡也。 |
| | Gaozi, who lived at the same time as Mengzi, argued that human nature has no inherent distinction between good and evil. He compared it to a rushing stream: if you divert it eastward, it flows east; if westward, it flows west. Water has no inherent preference for east or west, just as human nature has no innate distinction between good and evil.
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| | 本性: |
夫告子之言，謂人之性與水同也。使性若水，可以水喻性，猶金之為金，木之為木也。人善因善，惡亦因惡，初稟天然之姿，受純壹之質，故生而兆見，善惡可察。無分於善惡，可推移者，謂中人也，不善不惡，須教成者也。故孔子曰：「中人以上，可以語上也；中人以下，不可以語上也。」告子之以決水喻者，徒謂中人，不指極善極惡也。孔子曰：「性相近也，習相遠也。」夫中人之性，在所習焉，習善而為善，習惡而為惡也。至於極善極惡，非復在習，故孔子曰：「惟上智與下愚不移。」性有善不善，聖化賢教，不能復移易也。孔子、道德之祖，諸子之中最卓者也，而曰「上智下愚不移」，故知告子之言，未得實也。 |
| | Gaozi's statement means that human nature is the same as water. If human nature were like water, then one could use water to illustrate it, just as gold is gold and wood is wood. Goodness arises from good causes, and evil from evil ones. At birth, one receives an innate disposition and a pure nature; thus, signs of goodness or evil become evident at birth and can be observed. Those without an inherent distinction between good and evil, whose nature is malleable, are called average people; they are neither inherently good nor evil but require education to become so. Therefore Confucius said: "Those above the average can be taught higher things; those below the average cannot be taught higher things." Gaozi's analogy of diverting water refers only to the average person, not to those with extreme goodness or extreme evil. Confucius said: "Human natures are originally similar; it is through habits that they become widely different." The nature of the average person depends on what they are accustomed to; if one is habituated to good, they become good; if to evil, they become evil. As for those with extreme goodness or extreme wickedness, their nature is no longer subject to change through habit; thus Confucius said: "Only the highest wisdom and the lowest stupidity are unchangeable." Human nature has inherent goodness or lack thereof; even the teachings of sages and virtuous educators cannot alter it. Confucius, the ancestor of moral teachings and the most outstanding among the various philosophers, said "the highest wisdom and lowest stupidity are unchangeable," so we know that Gaozi's words did not grasp the truth.
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| | 本性: |
夫告子之言，亦有緣也。《詩》曰：「彼姝之子，何以與之。」其《傳》曰：「譬猶練絲，染之藍則青，染之朱則赤。」夫決水使之東西，猶染絲令之青赤也。丹朱、商均已染於唐、虞之化矣，然而丹朱慠而商均虐者，至惡之質，不受藍、朱變也。 |
| | Gaozi's argument also has its basis, however. The "Shijing" says: "That graceful child, with whom can he be compared?" Its commentary states: "It is like raw silk; if dyed with indigo, it becomes blue; if dyed with cinnabar, it turns red." Diverting water to flow east or west is like dyeing silk to make it blue or red. Dan Zhu and Shang Jun were already influenced by the culture of Tang and Yu; yet Dan Zhu remained arrogant and Shang Jun cruel—this was because their inherently evil natures did not change, no matter how much they were exposed to indigo or cinnabar.
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| | 本性: |
孫卿有反孟子，作《性惡》之篇，以為「人性惡，其善者，偽也」。性惡者、以為人生皆得惡性也，偽者、長大之後，勉使為善也。 |
| | Sun Qing opposed Mengzi, composing a chapter titled "Xinge," in which he argued that "human nature is evil; any goodness found in people is artificial." To say human nature is evil means that at birth, all people possess an inherently evil disposition; "artificial" (wei) refers to the effort made after growing up to strive toward goodness.
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| | 本性: |
若孫卿之言，人幼小無有善也。稷為兒，以種樹為戲；孔子能行，以俎豆為弄。石生而堅，蘭生而香。稟善氣，長大就成，故種樹之戲，為唐司馬；俎豆之弄，為周聖師，稟蘭石之性，故有堅香之驗。夫孫卿之言，未為得實。 |
| | According to Sun Qing's view, when people are young there is no inherent goodness in them. Ji, as a child, played by planting trees; Confucius was capable from an early age and used ritual vessels for play. Stone is hard by nature, and orchid is fragrant at birth. Receiving a good disposition from the start, one grows into their full potential; thus, playing with planting trees became the foundation for serving as an official in the Tang dynasty. Playing with ritual vessels led to becoming a sage and teacher of the Zhou dynasty; possessing the nature of orchid and stone, there was clear evidence of firmness and fragrance. Therefore, Sun Qing's argument does not fully grasp the truth.
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| | 本性: |
然而性惡之言，有緣也。一歲嬰兒，無推讓之心，見食，號欲食之；睹好，啼欲玩之。長大之後，禁情割欲，勉厲為善矣。劉子政非之曰：「如此，則天無氣也。陰陽善惡不相當，則人之為善，安從生？」 |
| | However, his assertion that human nature is inherently evil also has its basis. A one-year-old infant does not yet have the thought of yielding; upon seeing food, he cries out in desire to eat it; upon seeing something desirable, he wails and wants to play with it. After growing up, one restrains emotions and curbs desires, striving diligently toward goodness. Liu Zizheng criticized this saying: "If so, then heaven has no nature at all. Yin and Yang, good and evil are not balanced; how can goodness in human beings arise?"
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| | 本性: |
陸賈曰：「天地生人也，以禮義之性。人能察己所以受命則順，順之謂道。」 |
| | Lu Jia said: "Heaven and earth give birth to people with the nature of rites and righteousness. If a person can understand why they received their destiny, then they will be in harmony; this harmony is called the Dao."
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| | 本性: |
夫陸賈知人禮義為性，人亦能察己所以受命。性善者、不待察而自善，性惡者、雖能察之，猶背禮畔義。義挹於善，不能為也。故貪者能言廉，亂者能言治。盜跖非人之竊也，莊蹻刺人之濫也，明能察己，口能論賢，性惡不為，何益於善？陸賈之言，未能得實。 |
| | Lu Jia understood that human nature consists of rites and righteousness, and also recognized that people can understand why they receive their destiny. Those with inherently good nature do not need to examine themselves—they are naturally good; those with an evil nature, even if they can understand their destiny, will still defy rites and abandon righteousness. Righteousness is drawn from goodness; without it, one cannot act rightly. Therefore, the greedy can speak of integrity, and the rebellious can speak of order. Dazhi was not a common thief, and Zhuang Qiao was no ordinary criminal; both were intelligent enough to examine themselves and eloquent enough to discuss virtue. Yet if their evil nature did not change, what benefit would it bring for goodness? Lu Jia's words failed to grasp the truth fully.
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| | 本性: |
董仲舒覽孫、孟之書，作《情性》之說曰：「天之大經，一陰一陽；人之大經，一情一性。性生於陽，情生於陰。陰氣鄙，陽氣仁。曰性善者，是見其陽也；謂惡者，是見其陰者也。」 |
| | Dong Zhongshu, having studied Sun and Meng's writings, composed a treatise on "Qingxing" ("Emotion and Nature"), saying: "The great principles of Heaven are yin and yang; the great principles of human beings are emotion and nature." Nature arises from yang, while emotion arises from yin. Yin qi is base; yang qi is benevolent. Those who say human nature is good are observing its yang aspect; those who speak of evil are seeing its yin aspect."
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| | 本性: |
若仲舒之言，謂孟子見其陽，孫卿見其陰也。處二家各有見，可也；不處人情性情性有善有惡，未也。夫人情性，同生於陰陽，其生於陰陽，有渥有泊。玉生於石，有純有駮；情性於陰陽，安能純善？仲舒之言，未能得實。 |
| | According to Zhongshu's words, it means Mengzi observed the yang aspect and Sun Qing observed the yin aspect. To say that both schools have their own insights is acceptable; to not acknowledge that human nature and emotion inherently contain both good and evil is incomplete. Human nature and emotion are born together from yin and yang, but their emergence from yin and yang varies in intensity and subtlety. Jade is born from stone; some jade is pure, others mixed; how can emotion and nature derived from yin and yang be purely good? Zhongshu's statement did not fully grasp the truth.
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| | 本性: |
劉子政曰：「性、生而然者也，在於身而不發；情、接於物而然者也，出形於外。形外、則謂之陽，不發者、則謂之陰。」 |
| | Liu Zizheng said: "Nature is something one is born with; it resides within the body but does not manifest; emotion arises from interaction with external things and manifests outwardly." That which manifests externally is called yang, while that which does not manifest is called yin."
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| | 本性: |
夫子政之言，謂性在身而不發。情接於物，形出於外，故謂之陽；性不發，不與物接，故謂之陰。夫如子政之言，乃謂情為陽，性為陰也。不據本所生起，苟以形出與不發見定陰陽也。必以形出為陽，性亦與物接，造次必於是，顛沛必於是。惻隱不忍，不忍，仁之氣也；卑謙辭讓，性之發也，有與接會，故惻隱卑謙，形出於外。謂性在內，不與物接，恐非其實。不論性之善惡，徒議外內陰陽，理難以知。且從子政之言，以性為陰，情為陽，夫人稟情，竟有善惡不也？ |
| | Master Zizheng's words mean that nature resides within the body without manifesting. Emotion arises from contact with external things and manifests externally, hence it is called yang; nature does not manifest and does not interact with external objects, so it is called yin. According to Master Zizheng's statement, emotion belongs to yang and nature belongs to yin. This does not consider the fundamental origin; it merely determines yin and yang based on whether something manifests externally or remains unexpressed. If one must define yang as that which manifests, then nature also interacts with external things—this is the case in both haste and adversity. Compassionate restraint from harming others, this restraint is the qi of benevolence; humility and yielding are expressions of nature, which manifest externally when interacting with others. Thus, compassion and humility become outwardly evident. To say that nature resides internally without interacting with external things may not be accurate. Without considering the goodness or evil of human nature, and merely discussing internal and external yin and yang, it is difficult to grasp the truth. Moreover, following Master Zizheng's view that nature is yin and emotion is yang, if people possess emotion, does this mean they inherently have goodness or evil?
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| | 本性: |
自孟子以下，至劉子政，鴻儒博生，聞見多矣，然而論情性竟無定是。唯世碩儒、公孫尼子之徒，頗得其正。由此言之，事易知，道難論也。酆文茂記，繁如榮華；恢諧劇談，甘如飴密，未必得實。 |
| | From Mencius down to Liu Zizheng, many great scholars and learned men have existed; their knowledge and experience are extensive. Yet even so, discussions on human nature and emotion still lack a definitive conclusion. Only the great Confucian scholars like Shi Shuo and Gongsun Nizi, among others, have somewhat grasped its correct understanding. From this we can see that worldly matters are easy to understand, but the Dao is difficult to discuss. Feng Wenmao's records are abundant like flourishing flowers; his eloquent and humorous discourse is sweet as honey, yet it may not necessarily be true.
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| | 本性: |
實者、人性有善有惡，猶人才有高有下也，高不可下，下不可高。謂性無善惡，是謂人才無高下也。稟性受命，同一實也。命有貴賤，性有善惡。謂性無善惡，是謂人命無貴賤也。九州田土之性，善惡不均，故有黃、赤、黑之別，上、中、下之差；水潦不同，故有清濁之流，東西南北之趨。人稟天地之性，懷五常之氣，或仁或義，性術乖也；動作趨翔，或重或輕，性識詭也。面色或白或黑，身形或長或短，至老極死，不可變易，天性然也。 |
| | The truth is that human nature has both good and evil aspects, just as people's talents vary in high and low. What is high cannot become low, nor can what is low become high. To say that human nature has no good or evil is equivalent to saying people's talents have no distinction between high and low. Receiving one's nature and destiny are essentially the same reality. Destiny has distinctions of nobility and meanness, just as human nature has goodness and evil. To say that human nature is neither good nor evil is to say that people's destinies have no distinction between noble and mean. The nature of the soil in the nine provinces is uneven in quality, hence there are distinctions between yellow, red, and black soils, as well as differences among superior, medium, and inferior grades; the waters vary in nature, hence there are currents of clarity and turbidity, flowing toward the east, west, south, and north. People receive the nature of heaven and earth and embody the five constant virtues; some are benevolent, others righteous—this divergence in disposition is due to differences in their natures. Their actions and movements may be heavy or light; this variation reflects the complexity of human nature and perception. Facial complexions may be fair or dark, body shapes tall or short; even until old age and death, these cannot change—they are determined by innate nature.
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| | 本性: |
余固以孟軻言人性善者，中人以上者也；孫卿言人性惡者，中人以下者也；楊雄言人性善惡混者，中人也。若反經合道，則可以為教；盡性之理，則未也。 |
| | I firmly believe that Mencius's assertion that human nature is good applies only to those of average ability or above; Xunzi's claim that human nature is evil refers to those below the average level; Yang Xiong's view that human nature contains a mixture of good and evil applies to the average person. If one can return to the classics and align with the Dao, then it is possible to serve as instruction; but this does not yet fully explain the principles of human nature.
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