禮賦
Rhapsody on Ritual
爰有大物，非絲非帛，文理成章；非日非月，為天下明。生者以壽，死者以葬。城郭以固，三軍以強。粹而王，駁而伯，無一焉而亡。臣愚不識，敢請之王？
There exists a great thing: it is not silk nor cloth, yet its patterns form perfect designs. It is not the sun nor the moon, yet it illuminates the world. Through it the living gain long life and the dead are properly buried. Through it city walls stand firm and armies grow strong. With it in pure form, one becomes a king; in mixed form, a hegemon; without it entirely, one perishes. Your foolish minister cannot identify it — may I dare ask the king?
Notes
This chapter contains five rhapsodies (賦) — riddle-poems on Ritual, Knowledge, Clouds, Silkworms, and the Needle. The rhapsody form, which Xunzi is credited with pioneering, became one of the major literary genres of the Han dynasty.