 Xu’s theory of the connection between names (ming) and actualities (shi) drew on but further developed earlier views of the efficacy of language in moral development. Names, or terms, should be applied to things in particular ways that suggest proper uses. We can improperly apply names when we apply them not with the aim of communal harmony or individual moral instruction, but with the aim of advancing our own reputations or selfish interest. When we use names in these unsatisfactory ways, this reduces their efficacy in creating the kinds of motivational effect that is the fundamental use of names. The key in using names correctly is to ensure that names are tied to the actualities with which these names are associated. Xu describes the connection between name and actuality: