叶适与荀子的思想关系

叶适对荀子虽多有批判，但在思想本质上仍继承其礼治主义的精神。两者的关系可以从三个方面去认识：(1)都属于儒家传统中的非主流派，其思想本旨和历史影响均着重在政治建设的领域；(2)都兼具现实理性和道德信仰；(3)都建立在对同时代诸家思想批判融通的基础上。荀子的本旨是把君王在内的所有社会成员都纳入到礼治结构之中，但是实践的最高权限在君王身上，因而在历史进程中不可避免地异变为君权专制。董仲舒等人企图借“天”的权威来制约君权，作结构性的补救；叶适则批判专权，予以修正；后来黄宗羲等人又发展出朴素的民主思想。由此脉络也可见叶适和荀子的思想关系。

Ideological Relations Between Yeshi and Xunzi

Although Yeshi had criticized Xunzi more often than not,he carried on Xunzi's spirit of government on etiquette in ideological nature.Their relations can be recognized in three ways:(1)both belong in the non－mainstream school of traditional Confucianism and the original ideological intention and historical influence largely lie in the area of political construction;(2)both are of realistic rationality and moral belief;(3)both established on the basis of different schools of ideological criticism.Xunzi's original intention is to bring into the structure all the social members including monarchs,but real ultimate power is limited to the monarch,so that it eventually evolved into absolute monarchy.Dong Zhongshu attempted to restrict the monarchical power borrowing the authority of "Heaven" to remedy its structure;Yeshi revived the structure by criticizing the monarchical power;Huang Zhongyi and other scholars developed simple democratic ideology.The ideological relations between Yeshi and Xunzi can be seen from this context.