虽然原始儒家也讲"物欲"，但"仁欲"更加值得关注。仁欲与物欲相比，存在着物质与道德、欠少与盈余、为我与为他、命与性、有限与无限等诸多差别。西方重视物欲，导致西方重视认识外部世界，利用外部世界为自我服务，形成了自我中心主义的传统，因此西方本体论形而上学虽然要超越现实世界，但它是自我对现实世界的超越，而不超越自我本身。原始儒家重仁欲，重视对他者的仁爱，这是以他者为中心的，由于他者处在现实之中，因此，仁欲形而上学并非要超越现实世界，而是要超越自我，从而呈现了一幅与西方不同的形而上学图景。

Classical Confucianism pays more attention to "desire for humanity" than to "material desire". There are a number of differences between material desire and desire for humanity:the former is material, deficient, egoist, finite and destined, while the latter is moral, sufficient, altruist, infinite and determined by nature. Due to the emphasis on material desire and consequently knowing and utilizing the outside world, a tradition of egocentrism forms in Western philosophy. Although Western metaphysics seeks to transcend reality, reality here mainly means the outside world rather than the self. In contrast, classical Confucianism underscores desire for humanity, that is, benevolence for others. Since the others are in reality, what metaphysics based on desire for humanity attempts to transcend is the self rather than the outside world. In this sense, classical Confucianism creates a metaphysics distinctive from that in the West.