Xunzi

Xunzi’s given name was Kuang and his courtesy name Qing; he was a native of the state of Zhao and the consummate synthesizer of Confucian thought during the late Warring States period. He served three times as Chief Academician of the Jixia Academy, advocating the doctrine of innate human depravity while emphasizing moral education and transformation, promoting the principles of 'transforming one’s nature through conscious effort' and 'elevating ritual propriety while valuing legal order.' His essay 'Exhortation to Learning'—featuring such enduring exhortations as 'Indigo is extracted from the woad plant, yet it is bluer than the plant itself' and 'With unrelenting perseverance, even metal and stone may be carved'—has inspired scholars throughout history. His contribution to transmitting the Confucian Classics was especially monumental: the Odes, the Rites, the Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals all continued unbrokenly through his disciples’ instruction. Among his most renowned students were Han Fei and Li Si. Later generations honored him as 'The Later Sage'; Lanling, where he served as magistrate and spent his final years, erected the Xunzi Temple in his veneration, enshrining him as the founding patriarch of both the Way of the Teacher and the transmission of the Confucian Classics.