儒家思想自孔子以後產生了許多學派，雖然各家都以正統者的身分自居，但是他們的學說往往因時代的變遷而產生了不同的變化，這是學術思想發展的必然現象。而儒家思想在荀子的時候已經到了蛻變的前夕，換句話說，儒家思想在這個時候也勢必要有所調整，否則很有可能會失去「顯學」的地位。荀子在以禮為治的政治思想中提出性惡之說，雖然遭受到不少的批評和責難，但是卻不能影響後世對他的尊敬。就實際的情況來說，荀子的學術思想固然未必全出自於儒家，不過，在《荀子》一書中屢屢提到的聖人或先王之道，其實就是儒家之道，而書中所引所論的經典也全都是儒家的經典，既然如此，我們就可以不必懷疑荀子傳承儒家思想的事實及其在儒學史上的地位了。

Confucianists thoughts had developed many schools since Confucius. Although each school has its authorized thought, the thought has changed in the different times, however, it is the certain trend. The Confucianists thoughts faced the huge change during the time of Xun-zi, in other words, the Confucianists thoughts must be adapted to suit the social situation. One of the political thoughts of Xun-zi is “the theory of man are born evil”, this thought is criticized, but it also be respected by the descendant scholarists. The academic thought of Xun-zi is not completely original from Confucianists thoughts, but in the book of “Xun-zi”, always mentioned the principles of the ancient sage-kings, and cited the classics from the Confucianists. So it is undoubted that the continuity and the position of Confucianists thoughts.