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Joseph Levenson argued that the discontinuity between traditional modern in China was so stark that even to the extent that things appeared similar, this was a matter of "new wine in old bottles": the words may have been the same, but what they meant had changed decisively. On the surface, "quanli" would appear a perfect example of Levenson's metaphor, since it seems to have been transformed from a derogatory word for the powers and profits that tempt the uncultivated - as seen, for instance, in the Xunzi - into "rights", the very foundation of modern ethics, politics and law. …

Joseph Levenson argued that the discontinuity between traditional modern in China was so stark that even to the extent that things appeared similar, this was a matter of "new wine in old bottles": the words may have been the same, but what they meant had changed decisively. On the surface, "quanli" would appear a perfect example of Levenson's metaphor, since it seems to have been transformed from a derogatory word for the powers and profits that tempt the uncultivated - as seen, for instance, in the Xunzi - into "rights", the very foundation of modern ethics, politics and law. …

Joseph Levenson argued that the discontinuity between traditional modern in China was so stark that even to the extent that things appeared similar, this was a matter of "new wine in old bottles": the words may have been the same, but what they meant had changed decisively. On the surface, "quanli" would appear a perfect example of Levenson's metaphor, since it seems to have been transformed from a derogatory word for the powers and profits that tempt the uncultivated - as seen, for instance, in the Xunzi - into "rights", the very foundation of modern ethics, politics and law. …