Abstract: Xunzi is one of the most famous philosophers in ancient China. On the one hand, he declared that human nature is fundamentally bad in the perspective of human being' natural characteristic, on the other, he put forward the theory of changing humanity by man-made and moral-cultivation in the perspective of human being' social characteristic. Xunzi affirmed the possibility that a bad man can be cultivated into a good one under the condition of external moral norms. Xunzi's theory of moral-cultivation that emphasized that to be a sage or man of honor should be one's life realm possesses important values in modern society.

Key words: Xunzi; human nature; moral cultivation

摘要： 荀子是我国古代最著名的性恶论者。他一方面从人的自然性出发,提出人性本恶论;另一方面又从人的社会性出发,提出了“化性起伪”的人性改造论和道德修养论。荀子肯定了性本恶之人在礼义法度等外在道德规范的约束下不断弃恶从善、积善成德的可能性。他提出的以追求圣人和君子为人生境界的道德修养理论,在现代社会仍具有重要价值。

关键词: 荀子, 人性, 道德修养