Abstract: Xunzi provided philosophical argumentation for his political ethical thoughts of social hierarchy by looking at the natural and social essence of mankind. Starting from the concept of Li, Xunzi divided society into tiers by considering ranks and professions. He paid especial attention to the function when he carried out his division. His final aim was to achieve the ideal of harmony and order in society, which may prove to be significant to our project of building harmonious society.

Key words: Xunzi; division of social structure; Li; Segregation and desegregation; the order of hierarchy

摘要： 基于天人关系,荀子从人的自然本性和社会性出发,对其社会分层的政治伦理思想作了哲学论证。以“礼”为核心和标准,荀子把社会分层划分为社会等级分层与社会职业分层两个层面。荀子把“礼”的功能——“群”与“分”,特别是等级差别之“分”作为社会分层的手段,以最终实现社会和谐有序的政治理想。这对于我们今天构建社会主义和谐社会仍具有一定的现实意义。

关键词: 荀子, 社会分层, 礼, 群与分, 等级秩序