Best known through the philosopher 荀子 (荀子, Xunzi, c. 310–235 BCE), who argued human nature needs ritual and education to be made good. The surname traces back to the small Zhou-era state of Xun.
艹 is the grass radical (top form of 草). The character originally named a plant; that botanical sense is why it carries the grass radical, though today it survives mainly as a surname.
