此文係解讀荀子「天論」文本的論述旨趣，強調它的主題不是論「天」，而是論「知天」。荀子「天論」原本並不是一篇命題寫作、討論「天（道）為何物」的「文章」，而是一則由言說者向受聽者陳述的「言說」，目的是要「以言成道」，透過揭示政治典範來引導正確的政治行動，而「知天」就是指涉政治行動的典範。因此，「知天」論述的旨趣不在於認識「天行有常」的自然世界，而在指示「如何成己、成物以知天」，排除因「蔽塞」的行動模式而帶來無窮禍患。此文也進一步詮釋荀子「知天」論述的思想涵意，揭示了其中的「天地生成論」觀念以及「天地生之，聖人成之」的行動典範意義，並且指出荀子「天論」在政治論述方面，觸及政治決策的知識、價值思辨、完善處理的能力、政治責任的倫理等有意義的課題。就思想詮釋的新探索而言，此文反對將「天論」、「知天」之「天」理解為自然之天的學界主流看法，也反思了自然哲學與主體哲學兩種詮釋取向與古典文化精神的疏離。

This article reexamines Xunzi's chapter ＂Discussion of Heaven＂ and argues that it elaborates not on ＂heaven＂ but on ＂knowing heaven.＂ It is not a thesis explaining what the Way of Heaven is and presenting the proper understanding of the regular natural world, but a speech demonstrating the speaker's attempt to carry out the Way with utterances. By introducing his paradigm of political actions, Xunzi teaches his audience how to complete themselves, to accomplish things, to know heaven, and to avert the endless disasters caused by unenlightened human actions. It underlies the ＂Discussion of Heaven＂ that heaven and earth are the genesis of all things in the world, and that sages can and should bring out all things' full potentials. This present article in fact touches on policy making, values and thinking, public management, as well as the ethics and responsibility of politics. Against the popular opinion that conceives the ＂heaven＂ in the ＂Discussion of Heaven＂ as ＂nature,＂ it identifies how the natural philosophy and subjective philosophy, which are often used to interpret this topic, deviate from the spirit of Chinese classical culture.