At the same time, Xunzi also criticized Mencius' theory of good nature. The debate between Xunzi and Mencius about human nature lies in "sex" and "falsehood", which is equivalent to the "behavior" of loyalty in modern Chinese. Mencius believes that people's morality is innate, and the reason why people are vicious is acquired. Xunzi disagreed. He believes that human nature is evil, and learning the day after tomorrow can make people get rid of evil. But if there are elders around him, he won't eat alone first, but will help his elders with food. Even if you are tired, you will not rest in front of your elders, but work instead of him and let your elders rest first. The humility of the younger generation to the elders is not human nature, but most people strictly abide by it. It is because of humility and etiquette that people have changed their natural nature, which is attributed to their acquired education.
Both Mencius and Xunzi emphasized the importance of education, and Mencius emphasized that education is to maintain and carry forward human kindness. The main purpose of Xunzi's theory of evil nature is not to criticize human nature, but to emphasize the importance of education, which lays the foundation for his etiquette education, and education and learning play a vital role in the transformation of human nature from evil to good. We should combine other aspects of Xunzi's thought to understand his theory of evil nature, so as to make an objective evaluation.
Difference means good nature and bad nature, and it also means that both emphasize education.