评荀子的君本论和君民"舟水"关系说

荀子是战国末期儒学的传承，但他基于封建政权已经稳固的现实，提出了君民“舟水”关系说。其说弱化了传统儒家民本思想的力度，强化了君主专制的权威，从而从根本上构筑了儒学君本主义体系。孔孟儒学中的民本主义思想则被荀子削去锋芒，塞入君本主义框架中。于是，在牺牲了“民贵君轻”精神的前提下，儒学实现了与封建专制政治的并轨改造，并在理论上为后世封建政治提供了完备而切实可行的方案。

Criticing Xun Zi's Sovereign as the Base and the "Vessel Water" Relationship between the Sovereign and His People

Xun Zi was the inheritor of Confucian theory at the end of Warring States period,but he put forward the idea that the sovereign is vessel while people are like water,and the relation between sovereign and people is that of vessel and water.This idea weakened the role of people and strengthened the power of the sovereign in Confucian theory which holds that people is prmary while sovereign is secondary.Xun Zi thus modified Coufucianism to cater to the needs of feudal monarchy,and thereafter Confucianism became a powerful tool for feudal rulers to maintain their rules.