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Mencius and Xunzi were two such Chinese philosophers who took on the task of not only incorporating words into their writings, but also utilizing different styles to more accurately convey their teachings. ... Through these three strands, Mencius and Xunzi both were able to produce their own very different styles of literature, and these styles reflected their differing ideas.
The first way that Mencius and Xunzi set themselves apart from each other was the contrast between figurative and literal language. Figurative language was used extensively in Mencius’s writings to convey his ideas of social order and humanism. Since Mencius was more of a thinker from the heart than Xunzi was, it is obvious that he would use similes and metaphors in his writings. ... Mencius’s main goal was to show how humans are inherently noble and good people. ... By using this figurative language, the ethical standards that Mencius was supporting were raised in the reader’s mind to a level that made morality as significant as water. ...
Xunzi, who was a realist, instead made his writing use much more literal language. ... Xunzi was a realist who wasn’t speaking about matters of the heart like Mencius was, so Xunzi made his ideas clear to remove any chance for misinterpretation. ... From this excerpt taken from Xunzi’s writings, we can see that he could not have more directly stated his beliefs. ... Xunzi didn’t want to use figurative language like Mencius did because Xunzi believed his words should mean exactly what he was trying to say.
The use of voice was a second method that both Mencius and Xunzi used differently. Mencius took on a more warm and approachable voice. ...
Additionally, Mencius would state a belief of his and then say something like, “Let me give you an example of what I mean …,” (Ebrey, pg. ... This kind of tone left out any hint that Mencius was preaching to his reader. ... Instead, it is apparent that Mencius wanted to win his readers over by heart. ...
Xunzi didn’t take this route. ... Xunzi avoided a soft and compassionate tone because he didn’t want to sugarcoat something that couldn’t be sugarcoated.
Approximate Word count = 1753
Approximate Pages = 7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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