Jin Si Lu (近思錄) · Volume 3

伊川先生曰人安重則學堅固【躁擾輕浮則所知者易忘所守者易隳】博學之審問之慎思之明辨之篤行之五者廢其一非學也【説見中庸○學不博則無以備事物之理既博矣則不能無疑疑則不容不問問或疎略而不審則無以決疑而取正問審矣又必反之心思以騐其實思之而不謹則或氾濫而不切或穿鑿而過深則亦不足以揆所聞之當否思之謹矣至於應酬事物之際而辨其是非疑似之間者必極其明而不容有毫釐之差焉然知之明行之不力則其所以知者猶或奪於物欲之私而陷於自欺之域矣故以力行終之此五者雖有次第實相須而進不容缺其一焉】

Master Yichuan said: "When a person is calm and weighty, learning is firm. [One who is restless and frivolous easily forgets what he knows and easily ruins what he keeps.] Study broadly, inquire carefully, think prudently, discern clearly, practice earnestly. If any one of the five is abandoned, it is not learning. [Explained in the Zhongyong. Note: If one does not study broadly, there is no way to prepare the principles of things and affairs; once broad, one cannot be without doubts, and with doubts one must ask; if the asking is cursory and not careful, there is no way to resolve doubts and obtain what is correct; once the inquiry is careful, one must turn back to the heart to verify its truth by thinking; if thinking is not prudent, one may become diffuse and miss the mark, or force and strain and go too deep, and also be unable to measure whether what one has heard is right; once thinking is prudent, when it comes to responding to affairs and discerning right from wrong, likeness from deceit, one must make it utterly clear without a hair's breadth of error; but if one knows clearly and practices without strength, what one knows may still be seized by the selfishness of material desire and fall into self-deception. Therefore it ends with vigorous practice. Although these five have an order, in truth they advance by requiring one another, and none may be missing.]"

張思叔請問其論或太髙伊川不答良乆曰累髙必自下【張繹字思叔程子門人也學必有其序不容躐等積累而髙必自下始也】

Zhang Sishu asked a question, and his remarks may have been too lofty; Yichuan did not answer. After a long while he said: "Building up to a height must begin from below. [Zhang Yi, courtesy name Sishu, was a disciple of the Chengs. Learning must have its order and one must not skip stages. Accumulating to reach a height must begin from below.]"

明道先生曰人之為學忌先立標凖若循循不巳自有所至矣【標幟凖的蓋期望之地也為學而先立標凖則必有好髙躐等之患故莫若循序而進孳孳不已自有所至○朱子曰此如必有事焉而勿正之謂觀顔子喟然之嘆不於髙堅瞻忽處用功卻就博文約禮上進歩則可見矣】

Master Mingdao said: "In a person's studies, setting a standard in advance is to be avoided. If one proceeds step by step without stopping, one will naturally reach somewhere. [A standard or mark is a place of expectation. If in study one sets a standard first, one will certainly suffer the fault of loving loftiness and skipping stages. So it is better to advance in due order and strive without ceasing, and one will naturally arrive. Note by Zhu Xi: This is like the meaning of 'there must be work to be done, but do not aim at results.' Look at Yan Hui's sigh of admiration: he did not put effort into the loftiness, hardness, or elusiveness of the Way, but made progress in broadening his learning and restraining himself with ritual, and one can see this.]"

尹彥明見伊川后半年方得大學西銘看【尹焞字彥明程子門人也始學之士未知向方教之以大學使其知入道之門進學之序也然學莫大於求仁繼之以西銘所以使其知仁之體而無私巳之蔽也然有待於半年之後者蓋欲其厚積誠意蠲除氣習以為學問根本也】有人説無心伊川曰無心便不是隻當雲無私心【苟欲無心則必一切絶滅思慮槁木死灰而後可豈理也哉故聖賢未嘗無心特是心之所存所用者無非本天理之公而絶乎人慾之私耳】

Yin Yanming, half a year after meeting Yichuan, was first given the Great Learning and the Western Inscription to read. [Yin Dun, courtesy name Yanming, was a disciple of Master Cheng. A scholar who has just begun does not yet know the direction, so he was taught the Great Learning so that he would know the gateway into the Way and the order of advancing in study. Yet in learning there is nothing greater than seeking humaneness, so it was followed by the Western Inscription, to let him know the substance of humaneness and be free of the obscuration of self. Waiting half a year afterward was meant to let him build up sincerity of intention and clear away habits of temperament as the root of learning.] Someone said 'no mind,' and Yichuan said: "'No mind' is wrong; one should only say 'no selfish mind.' [If one wants to have no mind, one must cut off all thought and become dry wood and dead ashes; how could that be principle? Therefore the sages and worthies never lacked a mind; only that what this mind keeps and uses is all rooted in the impartiality of Heavenly principle and cuts off the selfishness of human desire.]"

謝顯道見伊川【一本作伯淳】伊川曰近日事如何對曰天下何思何慮伊川曰是則是有此理賢卻發得太早在【至誠之道不思而得初何容心然未能義精仁熟而遽欲坐忘絶念此告子之不動心而反為心害者也】伊川直是防鍛鍊得人説了又道恰好著工夫也【鍛鍊冶工之冶金言其善於成冶人也心無紛擾乃進學之地故又曰恰好著工夫○朱子曰人所患者不能見得大體謝氏合下便見得只是下學之功都欠故道恰好著工夫】

Xie Xiandao met Yichuan [one text says Bochun], and Yichuan said: "How have things been lately?" He answered: "What is there to think about or worry over under Heaven?" Yichuan said: "That is right, there is such a principle, but you have brought it out too early. [The Way of utmost sincerity is attained without thinking, but at the start how could it be done with deliberate intent? Yet when one has not yet become refined in righteousness and ripe in humaneness, to hurry to sit in forgetfulness and cut off thought is the unmoved mind of Gaozi, which in turn harms the mind.]" Yichuan was truly good at tempering people; having finished, he added: "It is just the right time to apply effort. [Tempering is like a smith smelting metal, meaning he was good at helping people achieve. A mind without disturbance is the very ground for advancing in learning, so he added that it was just the right time to apply effort. Note by Zhu Xi: What people suffer from is being unable to see the great substance. Master Xie saw it at once, but lacked the effort of lower learning, so it was said it was just the right time to apply effort.]"

謝顯道雲昔伯淳教誨只管著他言語伯淳曰與賢説話卻似扶醉漢救得一邉倒了一邉只怕人執著一邉【朱子曰上蔡因有發於明道玩物喪志之一言故其所論毎毎過髙如浴沂御風何思何慮之類皆是墮於一偏】

Xie Xiandao said: "In the past when Bochun instructed me, I only paid attention to his words. Bochun said: Speaking with you is like supporting a drunkard; save him from falling on one side and he falls on the other. I fear only that people cling to one side. [Zhu Xi said: Because Shangcai was moved by Mingdao's phrase 'toying with things ruins the will,' his own arguments were often too lofty, such as bathing in the Yi River, riding the wind, and 'what is there to think or worry over,' all of which fall into one-sidedness.]"

橫渠先生曰精義入神事豫吾內求利吾外也利用安身素利吾外致養吾內也【説見易繫辭○研精義理妙以入神知之功也然事素定於內則施於外者無不順順於致用以安其身行之功也然所用既順於外則養於內者益以厚此明內外之交養而知行之相資也】窮神知化乃養盛自至非思勉之能強故崇徳而外君子未或致知也【正防下同○神者妙萬物而無方化者著萬物而有跡窮神知化蓋窮理盡性以至於命是則知行交養徳盛所致非思之所能得勉之所能至者故君子惟盡力於精義以致其用利用以崇其徳自崇徳之外則有所不能致其力者故曰過此以往未之或知也】形而後有氣質之性善反之則天地之性存焉故氣質之性君子有弗性者焉【天命流行賦予萬物本無非善所謂天地之性也氣聚成形性為氣質所拘則有純駁偏正之異所謂氣質之性也然人能以善道自反則天地之性復全矣故氣質之性君子不以為性蓋不徇乎氣質之偏必欲復其本然之善孟子謂性無有不善是也○朱子曰天地之性専指理而言氣質之性則以理雜氣而言又曰性譬之水本皆清也以淨器盛之則清以汙器盛之則濁澄治之則本然之清未嘗不在】

Master Hengqu said: "'Refining the meaning until it enters the spirit' means that affairs are settled beforehand within me, in order to seek benefit outside me; 'using what is beneficial to secure the person' means that one is accustomed to being benefited from outside, in order to nourish what is within me. [This is explained in the Appendices of the Book of Changes. Note: To study meaning and principle with refinement and enter the spirit through subtlety is the work of knowing. But if affairs are settled within beforehand, whatever is carried out externally goes smoothly; and what goes smoothly in application secures one's person, which is the work of acting. But if what is used is smooth externally, what is nourished within grows ever richer. This shows that inner and outer nourish each other and knowing and acting support each other.] 'Exhausting the spirit and knowing transformation' is the arrival of one's own nourished fullness, not something that deliberate thought or effort can force. Therefore, apart from exalting virtue, the gentleman has never sought any other knowledge. [From the Zhengmeng (the base text has a variant reading here, which should be Zhengmeng); the same below. Note: Spirit is the wonder that moves all things without fixed direction; transformation is what makes things manifest and leaves traces. To exhaust the spirit and know transformation is to exhaust principle, fully realize nature, and reach destiny; this is the result of knowing and acting nourishing each other and of virtue grown full, not something that thought can obtain or effort can reach. So the gentleman exerts himself only in refining meaning in order to bring it into use, and in using what is beneficial in order to exalt his virtue; beyond the exalting of virtue there is nothing he can apply his strength to, which is why it says, 'Beyond this, one does not know of anything.'] Only after there is form does the nature of material endowment exist, and if one is good at turning back to seek within, the nature of Heaven and Earth is preserved. Therefore, the nature of material endowment is something the gentleman does not regard as his nature. [Heaven's command flows and is bestowed on all things, originally nothing but good; this is what is called the nature of Heaven and Earth. When qi gathers into form, the nature is constrained by the material endowment, and there are differences of pure and mixed, partial and correct; this is what is called the nature of material endowment. Yet if a person can turn back upon himself through the good way, the nature of Heaven and Earth is made whole again. So the gentleman does not regard the nature of material endowment as his nature: he does not follow the partiality of material endowment but is determined to restore his original goodness. Mencius's saying that human nature is never other than good means just this. Note by Zhu Xi: The nature of Heaven and Earth refers solely to principle, while the nature of material endowment refers to principle mixed with qi. He also said: Nature is like water, originally all clear; held in a clean vessel it is clear, held in a dirty vessel it is muddy; if one clarifies and purifies it, its original clarity is never absent.]"

徳不勝氣性命於氣徳勝其氣性命於徳【義理與氣質相為消長徳不勝氣則氣為之主而性命拘於雜揉之質徳勝其氣則徳為之主而性命全乎本然之善】窮理盡性則性天徳命天理氣之不可變者獨死生修天而巳【窮萬物之理而盡一巳之性此學問之極功也學至於是則查滓渾化義理昭融所性者即天之徳所命者即天之理尚何氣稟之為累哉獨死生壽天則稟氣有定數而不可移耳○黃勉齋曰窮理盡性則不但德勝其氣而已且將性命於天矣徳以所得者而言理以本然者而言故性曰天徳命曰天理一而已矣】莫非天也陽明勝則徳性用隂濁勝則物慾行領惡而全好者其必由學乎【領惡而全好見戴記鄭氏曰領猶理治也好善也人之氣質不齊要皆稟於天也陽明而隂暗陽清而隂濁稟陽之多者明而不暗故徳性用稟隂之多者濁而不清故物慾行若夫領物慾之惡而不得行全徳性之好而盡其用者其必由於學乎所謂雖愚必明雖柔必強者也】大其心則能體天下之物物有未體則心為有外世人之心止於見聞之狹聖人儘性不以見聞梏其心其視天下無一物非我【萬物一體性本無外苟拘於耳目之偏狹則私意蔽固藩籬爾汝安能體物而不遺惟聖人能盡此性故心大而無外其視物與巳本無間然也○朱子曰體猶體認之體將自身入事物之中究見其理又曰只是有私意便內外扞格只見得自身上事凡物皆不得與已相關便是有外之心】孟子謂盡心則知性知天以此天大無外故有外之心不足以合天心【人能全心徳之大則知性知天矣無一物而非天故天大無外人之心苟猶有外則與天心不相似】

Zhang Zai said: "When virtue does not overcome qi, nature and destiny are determined by qi; when virtue overcomes its qi, nature and destiny are determined by virtue. [Moral principle and material endowment rise and fall against each other. When virtue does not overcome qi, qi is master, and nature and destiny are confined within a mixed and impure substance; when virtue overcomes its qi, virtue is master, and nature and destiny are made whole in their original goodness.] Exhaust principle and fully realize nature, and nature is Heaven's virtue and destiny is Heaven's principle. What cannot be changed in qi is only life and death, long life and early death. [To exhaust the principles of all things and fully realize one's own nature is the supreme achievement of learning. When learning reaches this point, the dregs are all dissolved and moral principle shines through; what one possesses as nature is Heaven's virtue, and what one receives as destiny is Heaven's principle, so what is there to fear from the burdens of one's endowment of qi? Only life and death and long and short life have a fixed number in the endowed qi and cannot be shifted. Note by Huang Gan: To exhaust principle and fully realize nature is not only that virtue overcomes qi, but that nature and destiny are rooted in Heaven. Virtue is spoken of in terms of what is gained, and principle in terms of what is original; so nature is called Heaven's virtue and destiny is called Heaven's principle, but they are one and the same.] There is nothing that is not Heaven. When brightness and yang prevail, virtuous nature acts; when darkness and murk prevail, material desires run free. To manage evil and preserve the good, must one rely on learning? [The phrase 'manage evil and preserve the good' appears in the Book of Rites. Zheng Xuan said: 'manage' is like to put in order, and 'good' means goodness. People's material endowments are uneven, but all are in sum received from Heaven. Yang is bright and yin is dark; yang is clear and yin is murky. Those who receive more yang are bright and not dark, so their virtuous nature acts; those who receive more yin are murky and not clear, so their material desires run free. As for managing the evil of material desires so that it cannot run, and preserving the goodness of virtuous nature so that it is fully used, must this depend on learning? This is what is meant by 'though foolish, one will become clear; though weak, one will become strong.'] Enlarge the mind and one can embrace all things under Heaven; if there are things it has not embraced, the mind has an outside. Ordinary people's minds stop at the narrowness of what they see and hear; the sage fully realizes his nature and does not let seeing and hearing shackle his mind, and so sees no single thing under Heaven that is not himself. [All things are one body, and nature originally has no outside. If one is bound by the narrowness of ears and eyes, private will obstructs and hardens, and one sets up fences between 'you' and 'I'; how then can one embody things without leaving any out? Only the sage can fully realize this nature, so his mind is great and has no outside, and in looking at things there is originally no separation between them and himself. Note by Zhu Xi: 'Embody' is like the 'embody' in 'to recognize in person': to put oneself into things and see their principle through. He also said: As soon as there is private will, inner and outer are in conflict, one sees only what concerns one's own person, nothing at all has to do with oneself; this is the mind that has an outside.] Mencius's saying that to fully exercise the mind is to know nature and to know Heaven refers to this. Heaven is great and has no outside, so a mind with an outside is not enough to accord with the mind of Heaven. [If a person can make whole the greatness of the mind's virtue, he knows nature and knows Heaven. There is not a single thing that is not Heaven, which is why Heaven is great and without outside. If a person's mind still has an outside, it does not resemble the mind of Heaven.]"

仲尼絶四自始學至成徳竭兩端之教也意有思也必有待也固不化也我有方也四者有一焉則與天地為不相似矣【意必固我蓋私意見於應事接物之間自始至終有此四者橫渠先生解絶毋皆為禁止之意故以此為聖人設教之道謂自始學以至於成徳其所以克治融釋者不外乎此所謂竭兩端之教也意者萌心之始故曰有思必者期望於終故曰有待固者滯於已徃故曰不化我者成於巳私故曰有方○朱子曰起於意遂於必留於固而成於我意必常在事前固我常在事後或問四者相為終始而曰有一焉何也曰人之為事亦有其初未必出於私意而後來固執而不化者若曰絶私意則三者皆無則曰絶一斯可矣何用更言絶四以此知四者又各是一病】

Zhang Zai said: "That Zhongni cut off four things is a teaching that exhausts both extremes, from the beginning of learning to the completion of virtue. 'Opinion' means having conjecture, 'certainty' means having expectation, 'rigidity' means not transforming, and 'self' means having a fixed side. If any one of the four is present, one is unlike Heaven and Earth. [Opinion, certainty, rigidity and self are the private will appearing in responding to affairs and meeting things, present from beginning to end. Master Hengqu took 'cut off' and 'had none of' both in the sense of forbidding, and so regarded this as the way the sage set up teaching: from the beginning of learning to the completion of virtue, what is to be overcome and dissolved is no more than this, which is what is meant by a teaching that exhausts both extremes. 'Opinion' is the first sprouting of the mind and so is called having conjecture; 'certainty' is expectation of the end and so is called having expectation; 'rigidity' is clinging to the past and so is called not transforming; 'self' is formed from one's private interest and so is called having a fixed side. Note by Zhu Xi: It arises from opinion, advances to certainty, lingers as rigidity, and is completed in self. Opinion and certainty are usually before the event, rigidity and self usually after it. Someone asked: The four are each other's end and beginning, so why does the text say 'there is one of them'? He answered: In what people do, there are cases where at first it does not come from private will but later they hold on and do not change. If cutting off private will meant that all three of the others were gone too, then saying 'cut off one' would be enough; why would it be necessary to say 'cut off four'? From this one knows that each of the four is a separate ailment.]"

上逹反天理下逹徇人慾者歟【説見論語○反天理則所趨日以髙逺徇人慾則所趨日以沉溺】

Zhang Zai said: "Reaching upward is returning to Heavenly principle, and reaching downward is following human desire, is it not? [This is explained in the Analects. Note: If one returns to Heavenly principle, one's course grows higher and more distant day by day; if one follows human desire, one's course sinks and drowns more every day.]"

知崇天也形而上也通晝夜而知其知崇矣知及之而不以禮性之非巳有也故知禮成性而道義出如天地位而易行【説見繫辭○人能通晝夜隂陽之變智則崇矣所以效天也又能守品節事物之禮性斯成焉所以法地也智禮相資而成其性道義之所從出猶天地宂位而易之理行乎兩間也○或問知禮成性之説朱子曰如習與性成之意又曰性者我所得於天底道義是眾人共由底】

Zhang Zai said: "Knowledge exalted is Heaven, and it is above form. It passes through day and night, and knowledge is thereby exalted. If one's knowledge reaches it but one does not complete one's nature through ritual, then it is not truly one's own. So when knowledge and ritual complete nature, Way and righteousness come forth, as when Heaven and Earth are set in position and the Changes operate. [This is explained in the Appendices. Note: If a person can penetrate the changes of yin and yang through day and night, his wisdom is exalted, so he models himself on Heaven; if he also keeps the ritual of grades and things, then his nature is completed, so he models himself on Earth. Wisdom and ritual support each other to complete his nature, and this is where Way and righteousness come from, just as when Heaven and Earth are set in position, the principle of the Changes operates between the two. Someone asked about the saying that knowledge and ritual complete nature. Zhu Xi said: It is like the meaning of 'habit becomes nature.' He also said: Nature is what I receive from Heaven, while Way and righteousness are what everyone follows in common.]"

困之進人也為徳辨為感速孟子謂人有徳慧術智者常存乎疢疾以此【繫辭傳曰困徳之辨也辨明也人處患難之時則操心危懼而無驕侈之蔽故其見理也明置身窮厄而有反本之思故其從善也敏徳慧謂徳之慧術智謂術之智疢疾災患也】言有教動有法晝有為宵有得息有養瞬有存【非先王之法言不敢言言有教也非先王之徳行不敢行動有法也終日干幹晝有為也夜氣所養宵有得也氣之出入為息一息而必有所養也目之開闔為瞬一瞬而必有所存也此言君子無徃無時而非學也】

Zhang Zai said: "Hardship makes people advance, because virtue is thereby made distinct and inspiration is thereby made swift. Mencius's saying that those who have virtue, wisdom, skill and intelligence always abide in calamity refers to this. [The Appendix says: 'Hardship is the distinguishing of virtue.' 'Distinguishing' means making clear. When a person is in the time of hardship and distress, he guards his mind with caution and fear and has no blindness of arrogance or excess, so he sees principle more clearly; being placed in exhaustion and difficulty, he has thoughts of returning to the root, so he follows the good more quickly. 'Virtue and wisdom' is the wisdom of virtue, 'skill and intelligence' is the intelligence of skill, and 'calamity' is hardship and affliction.] In speech there is instruction, in action there is law, by day there is work, by night there is gain, in each breath there is nourishment, in each blink there is preservation. [One does not dare speak anything other than the sage kings' model words, which is speech having instruction; one does not dare do anything other than the sage kings' virtuous conduct, which is action having law; to be vigilant all day long is work by day; what is nourished by the night qi is gain by night; the going out and coming in of qi is a breath, and in every breath there must be nourishment; the opening and closing of the eye is a blink, and in every blink there must be preservation. This says that the gentleman has no place and no time that is not learning.]"

橫渠先生作訂頑曰幹稱父坤稱母予茲藐焉乃混然中處【朱子曰天陽也以至健而位乎上父道也地隂也以至順而位乎下母道也人稟氣於天賦形於地以藐然之身混合無間而位乎中子道也然不曰天地而曰乾坤者天地其形體也乾坤其性情也幹者健而無息之謂萬物之所資以始者也坤者順而有常之謂萬物之所資以生者也是乃天地之所以為天地而父毋乎萬物者故指而言之○愚按禮記仁人之事親也如事天事天如事親此謂孝子成身即西銘之原也】故天地之塞吾其體天地之帥吾其性【朱子曰幹陽坤隂此天地之氣塞乎兩間而人物之所資以為體者也故曰天地之塞吾其體幹健坤順此天地之志為氣之帥而人物之所得以為性者也故曰天地之帥吾其性深察乎此則父幹母坤混然中處之實可見矣】民吾同胞物吾與也【朱子曰人物並生於天地之間其所資以為體者皆天地之塞其所得以為性者皆天地之帥然體有偏正之殊故其於性也不無明暗之異惟人也得其形氣之正是以其心最靈而有以通乎性命之全體於並生之中又為同類而最貴焉故曰同胞則其視之也皆如己之兄弟矣物則得夫形氣之偏而不能通乎性命之全故與我不同類而不若人之貴然原其體性之所自是亦本之天地而未嘗不同也故曰吾與則其視之也亦如己之儕軰矣惟同胞也故以天下為一家中國為一人如下文所云惟吾與也故凡有形於天地之間者若動若植有情無情莫不有以若其性遂其生焉此儒者之道所以必至於參天地贊化育然後為功用之全而非有所強於外也】大君者吾父母宗子其大臣宗子之家相也尊髙年所以長其長慈孤弱所以幼其幼聖其合徳賢其秀也凡天下疲癃殘疾惸獨鰥寡皆吾兄弟之顛連而無告者也【朱子曰幹父坤母而人生其中則凡天下之人皆天地之子矣然繼承天地統理人物則大君而已故為父母之宗子輔佐大君綱紀眾事則大臣而已故為宗子之家相天下之老一也故凡尊天下之髙年者乃所以長吾之長天下之幼一也故凡慈天下之孤弱者乃所以幼吾之幼聖人與天地合其徳是兄弟之合徳乎父母者也賢者才徳過於常人是兄弟之秀出乎等夷者也是皆以天地之子言之則凡天下之疲癃殘疾惸獨鰥寡非吾兄弟無告者而何哉】於時保之子之翼也樂且不憂純乎孝者也【朱子曰畏天而自保者猶其敬親之至也樂天而不憂者猶其愛親之純也又曰若論天地萬物與我同體之意固極宏大然所論事天功夫則自於時保之以下方極親切】違曰悖徳害仁曰賊濟惡者不才其踐形惟肖者也【朱子曰不循天理而循人慾者不愛其親而愛他人也故謂之悖徳戕滅天理自絶本根者賊殺其親大逆無道也故誦之賊長惡不悛不可教訓者世濟其兇増其惡名也故謂之不才若夫盡人之性而有以充人之形則與天地相似而不違矣故謂之肖】知化則善述其事窮神則善繼其志【朱子曰孝子善繼人之志善述人之事者也聖人知變化之道則所行者無非天地之事矣通神明之徳則所存者無非天地之心矣此二者皆樂天踐形之事也又曰化底是氣有跡可見故為事神底是理無形可窺故為志】不愧屋漏為無忝存心養性為匪懈【朱子曰孝經引詩曰無忝爾所生故事天者仰不愧俯不怍則不忝乎天地矣又曰夙夜匪懈故事天者存其心養其性則不懈乎事天矣此二者畏天之事而君子所以求踐乎形者也】惡防酒崇伯子之顧養育英材潁封人之錫類【朱子曰好飲酒而不顧父母之養者不孝也故遏人慾如禹之惡防酒則所以願天之養者至矣性者萬物之一源非有我之得私也故育英材如潁考叔之及莊公則所以永錫爾類者廣矣】不弛勞而底豫舜其功也無所逃而待烹申生其恭也【朱子曰舜盡事親之道而瞽叟底豫其功大矣故事天者盡事天之道而天心豫焉則亦天之舜也申生無所逃而待烹其恭至矣故事天者夭夀不貳而修身以俟之則亦天之申生也】體其受而歸全者參乎勇於從而順令者伯竒也【朱子曰父母全而生之子全而歸之若曽子之啟手啟足則體其所受乎親者而歸其全也況天之所以與我者無一善之不備亦全而生之也故事天者能體其所受於天者而全歸之則亦天之曽子矣子於父母東西南北唯令之從若伯竒之履霜中野則勇於從而順令也況天之所以命我者吉凶禍福非有人慾之私故事天者能勇於從而順受其正則亦天之伯竒矣】富貴福澤將厚吾之生也貧賤憂戚庸玉汝於成也【朱子曰富貴福澤所以大奉於我而使吾之為善也輕貧賤憂戚所以拂亂於我而使吾之為志也篤天地之於人父母之於子其設心豈有異哉故君子之事天也以周公之富而不至於驕以顔子之貧而不改其樂其事親也愛之則喜而弗忘惡之則懼而無怨其心亦一而已矣】存吾順事沒吾寧也【朱子曰孝子之身存則其事親也不違其志而已沒則安而無所愧於親也仁人之身存則其事天也不逆其理而已沒則安而無所愧於天也蓋所謂朝聞夕死吾得正而斃焉者故張子之銘以是終焉】明道先生曰訂頑之言極醇無雜秦漢以來學者所未到又曰訂頑一篇意極完備乃仁之體也【仁者本以天地萬物為一體】學者其體此意令有諸巳其地位已髙到此地位自別有見處不可窮髙極逺恐於道無補也【體認此意實為我有所謂真知而實踐之至此則又有見於大本一原之妙矣】又曰訂頑立心便逹得天徳【普萬物而無私天徳也】又曰遊酢得西銘讀之即渙然不逆於心曰此中庸之理也能求於言語之外者也【遊酢字定夫程子門人也中庸惟本乎天命之性中者性之體和者性之用致中和至於天地位萬物育實則原於天命之本然西銘以人物之生同稟是氣以為體同具是理以為性雖有差等實無二本也今一視同仁者亦所以盡一巳之性而全天命之本然耳此即中庸之理也】楊中立問曰西銘言體而不及用恐其流遂至於兼愛何如伊川先生曰橫渠立言誠有過者乃在正防西銘之書推理以存義擴前聖所未發與孟子性善養氣之論同功豈墨氏之比哉西銘明理一而分殊墨氏則二本而無分【本注云老幼及人理一也愛無差等本二也○楊時字中立程子門人也西銘以天地為父母萬物為同體是理一也然而貴賤親疎上下各有品節之宜是分殊也若墨氏惑於兼愛則泛然並施而無差等施之父母者猶施之路人是親疎並立而為二本也○或問理一分殊如同胞吾與大君家相長防碊疾皆自有等差是分殊處否朱子曰此是一直看下更須橫截看天氣而地質與父母固是一理然吾之父母與天地自是有個親疎同胞裡而便有理一分殊吾與裡面亦便有理一分殊山正是疑同胞吾與為近於墨氏不知同胞吾與各自有理一分殊在其中矣】分殊之蔽私勝而失仁無分之罪兼愛而無義【徒知分之殊而不知理之一則其蔽也為己之私勝而失其公愛之理徒知理之一而不知分之殊則其過也兼愛之情勝而失其施愛之宜】分立而推理一以止私勝之流仁之方也無別而迷兼愛以至於無父之極義之賊也子比而同之過矣【分立而推其理之一則無私勝之蔽此為仁之方西銘是也施無差等而迷於兼愛則其極也至於無父此害義之賊墨氏是也】且彼欲使人推而行之本為用也反謂不及不亦異乎【西銘本言理一欲人推大公之用因山有兼愛之疑故程子又明其分之殊蓋莫非自然之理也或曰旣言理一又曰分殊是理與分為二也曰以理推之則並生於天地之間者同體同性不容以異觀也然是理也則有品節之殊輕重之等所謂分也者特是理之差等耳非二端也】

Master Hengqu wrote the Ding Wan and said: "Qian is called father and Kun is called mother; this tiny body of mine dwells mingled in the midst between them. [Zhu Xi says: Heaven is yang; it is supremely strong and its position is above, which is the way of the father. Earth is yin; it is supremely compliant and its position is below, which is the way of the mother. Man receives his qi from Heaven and his form from Earth, and with this tiny body is blended in without gap and holds the middle position, which is the way of the child. Yet the text speaks of Qian and Kun rather than Heaven and Earth: Heaven and Earth are their physical forms, while Qian and Kun are their natures and dispositions. Qian means strong and unceasing, that on which the myriad things rely to begin; Kun means compliant and constant, that on which the myriad things rely to be completed. This is precisely how Heaven and Earth are Heaven and Earth and act as parents to the myriad things, which is why it is pointed out in this way. Note by Ye Cai: The Book of Rites says, 'The humane man serves his parents as he serves Heaven, and serves Heaven as he serves his parents.' This means that the filial son's perfecting of himself is the source of the Western Inscription.] Therefore what fills Heaven and Earth is my body, and what commands Heaven and Earth is my nature. [Zhu Xi says: Qian is yang and Kun is yin; this qi of Heaven and Earth fills the space between the two, and people and things rely on it to form their bodies, so it says 'what fills Heaven and Earth is my body.' Qian is strong and Kun compliant; this will of Heaven and Earth is the commander of qi, and people and things receive it as their nature, so it says 'what commands Heaven and Earth is my nature.' If one examines this deeply, the reality of the father being Qian, the mother being Kun, and oneself dwelling mingled in the middle can be seen.] The people are my siblings by birth, and things are my kind. [Zhu Xi says: People and things are born together between Heaven and Earth; what they rely on to form their bodies is in every case what fills Heaven and Earth, and what they receive as their nature is in every case what commands Heaven and Earth. But bodies differ in being partial or correct, so their natures also differ in being dim or bright. Only man receives the correct form and qi, so his mind is the most spiritual and can reach the whole of nature and destiny; among all that is born together he is of one kind with us and the most honored, so it says 'siblings by birth,' meaning that one regards others as one's own brothers. Things receive form and qi that are partial and cannot reach the whole of nature and destiny; so they are not of the same kind as us and are not as honored as man. Yet if we trace the origin of their bodies and natures, they too derive from Heaven and Earth and are not different in that respect, so it says 'my,' meaning that one regards them as one's own companions. Precisely because they are siblings by birth, one takes the world as one family and China as one person, as the text below says; precisely because they are 'mine,' everything that has form between Heaven and Earth, whether moving or growing, with feeling or without, can be given the means to follow its nature and complete its life. This is why the way of the Confucian must reach the point of joining Heaven and Earth and assisting their transforming and nourishing before its function is whole, and not something forced on from outside.] The great ruler is the eldest son of my parents, and his great ministers are the household stewards of that eldest son. To respect the aged is to treat one's elders as elders; to cherish the orphaned and weak is to treat the young as young. The sage is the one who matches virtue with Heaven and Earth; the worthy is the one who stands out above the rest. All the world's exhausted, infirm, crippled and sick, the brotherless, childless, widowers and widows, are my brothers and sisters fallen into distress with no one to appeal to. [Zhu Xi says: Qian is father and Kun is mother, and man is born between them, so all the people of the world are children of Heaven and Earth. But only the great ruler continues Heaven and Earth and governs people and things, so he is the eldest son of the parents; and those who assist the great ruler and set in order the many affairs are the great ministers, so they are the household stewards of the eldest son. The aged of the world are all alike, so respecting the aged of the world is how I treat my own elders as elders; the young of the world are all alike, so cherishing the orphaned and weak of the world is how I treat my own young as young. The sage matches his virtue with Heaven and Earth, like the brother who matches the parents in virtue; the worthy surpasses ordinary people in talent and virtue, like the brother who stands out among his equals. All of these speak in terms of being children of Heaven and Earth, so then the exhausted, infirm, crippled and sick, the brotherless, childless, widowers and widows of the world, what are they if not my brothers and sisters with no one to appeal to?] 'At this time, protect it' is the reverent care of the son, and to be joyful and not anxious is perfect filial piety. [Zhu Xi says: To stand in awe of Heaven and so protect oneself is like the utmost reverence toward one's parents; to delight in Heaven and not be anxious is like the purity of love toward one's parents. He also says: If one speaks of the idea that Heaven, Earth and the myriad things share one body with me, it is indeed immensely grand; but as for the effort of serving Heaven, it becomes truly intimate only from 'at this time, protect it' onward.] To go against it is called violating virtue; to harm humaneness is called being a brigand; to aid evil is to be worthless, and only one who can fulfill his bodily form is truly like his parent. [Zhu Xi says: To follow human desires and not heavenly principle is to love others and not love one's own parents, so it is called violating virtue; to destroy heavenly principle and cut off one's own roots is to murder one's own parents, an utterly rebellious and lawless act, so it is called being a brigand (the base text has a corrupt reading here, which should read 'call it brigand'); to nurture evil without repentance and be beyond teaching is to carry on one's family's cruelty and add to its bad name, so it is called being worthless. As for one who fully realizes the nature of man and so fills out the form of man, he resembles Heaven and Earth and does not depart from them, so he is called 'like his parent.'] To know the transformations is to be good at carrying on his affairs; to exhaust the spirit is to be good at carrying on his aims. [Zhu Xi says: The filial son is good at continuing his father's aims and carrying on his father's affairs. The sage, knowing the way of change and transformation, does nothing that is not the work of Heaven and Earth; penetrating the virtue of the spirits, he preserves nothing that is not the mind of Heaven and Earth. Both of these are matters of delighting in Heaven and fulfilling one's form. He also says: Transformation is qi, which has traces that can be seen, so it is called affairs; spirit is principle, which has no form to peer into, so it is called aims.] Not being ashamed in the darkest corner of the house is to bring no disgrace, and to preserve the mind and nourish the nature is to be unremitting. [Zhu Xi says: The Classic of Filial Piety quotes the Poem, saying 'Bring no disgrace to those who bore you'; so one who serves Heaven looks up without shame and looks down without embarrassment, and thus brings no disgrace to Heaven and Earth. It also says 'Morning and night be unremitting'; so one who serves Heaven preserves his mind and nourishes his nature, and thus is not remiss in serving Heaven. These two are matters of standing in awe of Heaven, and are what the noble man seeks in order to fulfill his form.] To refrain from fine wine (the base text has a corrupt reading here, which should read 'detesting fine wine') was the care for his parent's nourishment shown by the son of the Earl of Chong, and to cultivate outstanding talents was the bestowal of kindness on others shown by the border warden of Ying. [Zhu Xi says: To love wine and neglect the nourishment of one's parents is unfilial, so if one restrains human desires like Yu, who detested fine wine, then the way of caring for Heaven's nourishment is reached. Nature is a single source of the myriad things, and it is not something I may possess privately; so if one nurtures outstanding talents like Ying Kaoshu, who extended his goodness to Duke Zhuang, then the means of 'bestowing goodness on your kind forever' is broadened.] To work without slackening until one brings joy is the achievement of Shun; to have nowhere to flee and to await boiling is the reverence of Shen Sheng. [Zhu Xi says: Shun fulfilled the way of serving his parents until Gu Sou was pleased, and his achievement was great; so one who serves Heaven and fulfills the way of serving Heaven until Heaven's mind is pleased is also Heaven's Shun. Shen Sheng had nowhere to flee and waited to be boiled, and his reverence was complete; so one who serves Heaven, not doubting whether his life is short or long and cultivating himself to await his fate, is also Heaven's Shen Sheng.] To embody what one has received and return it intact is Zeng Shen; to be bold in obeying and compliant in following commands is Bo Qi. [Zhu Xi says: One's parents give one life whole, and the child should return it whole. Like Master Zeng, who had his hands and feet uncovered at death, one embodies what one received from one's parents and returns it intact. How much more so with Heaven, whose gift to me lacks no goodness and was also given whole; so one who serves Heaven and can embody what he received from Heaven and return it intact is also Heaven's Zeng Shen. A child toward his parents goes east, west, south or north only as commanded; like Bo Qi, who walked in the frost out in the fields, he is bold in following and compliant with commands. How much more so with Heaven, whose commands to me of good or bad fortune contain no private human desire; so one who serves Heaven and can boldly follow and accept what is right is also Heaven's Bo Qi.] Wealth, honor, blessing and favor are meant to enrich your life, and poverty, humbleness, sorrow and distress are meant to polish you toward accomplishment. [Zhu Xi says: Wealth, honor, blessing and favor are what greatly provide for me and make it easy for me to do good; poverty, humbleness, sorrow and distress are what thwart and disturb me and make my will firm. How could the intention of Heaven and Earth toward man differ from that of parents toward their children? So when the noble man serves Heaven, he is not arrogant despite the wealth of the Duke of Zhou, and does not change his joy despite the poverty of Yan Hui; when he serves his parents, he is glad and does not forget if they love him, and fears without resentment if they dislike him, and the mind is one and the same.] While I live I follow and do my tasks, and when I die I will be at peace. [Zhu Xi says: While the filial son's body exists, he serves his parents without going against their wishes, and when he dies he is at peace and without shame before his parents. While the humane man's body exists, he serves Heaven without going against its principle, and when he dies he is at peace and without shame before Heaven. This is what is meant by 'hearing the Way in the morning and dying content in the evening,' and 'dying having obtained what is right.' Therefore Master Zhang's inscription ends with this.]" Master Mingdao said: "The words of the Ding Wan are utterly pure and without mixture, something that scholars since the Qin and Han have not reached." He also said: "The Ding Wan is an essay of the fullest meaning; it is the very substance of humaneness. [The humane man basically takes Heaven, Earth and the myriad things as one body.] If scholars appreciate this meaning and make it their own, their standing is already high. When they arrive at this standing they will naturally see something further, but they should not reach too high or too far, for fear of gaining nothing for the Way. [To appreciate this meaning and truly possess it is what is called true knowledge put into practice. Arriving here, one also sees the wonder of the great root and single source.]" He also said: "The Ding Wan sets up the mind and thereby reaches heavenly virtue. [To extend to all things without selfishness is heavenly virtue.]" He also said: "When You Zuo obtained the Western Inscription and read it, he was suddenly released and found nothing contrary to his mind, and said: This is the principle of the Doctrine of the Mean, which can be sought beyond words. [You Zuo, styled Dingfu, was a disciple of the Cheng brothers. The Doctrine of the Mean is rooted only in the nature endowed by Heaven's mandate: the mean is the substance of nature and harmony is its function, and the achievement of the mean and harmony, until Heaven and Earth take their places and the myriad things are nourished, in reality originates in the original state of Heaven's mandate. The Western Inscription holds that people and things are born receiving the same qi as their body and the same principle as their nature; though there are grades, there are truly not two roots. What it now treats with equal humaneness is also the means to exhaust one's own nature and make whole the original state of Heaven's mandate. This is the principle of the Doctrine of the Mean.]" Yang Zhongli asked: "The Western Inscription speaks of substance and does not reach function; I fear that its stream will turn into universal love. What of that?" Master Yichuan said: "Hengqu's way of putting things was indeed excessive in some places, but that is in the Zheng Meng (the base text has a corrupt reading here, which should read 'Zheng Meng'). The Western Inscription pushes principle in order to preserve righteousness, expanding what the former sages had not expressed, and has the same merit as Mencius's discussion of the goodness of nature and the nourishing of qi; how can it be compared with Mozi? The Western Inscription makes clear that principle is one and its distinctions are many, whereas Mozi had two roots and no distinctions. [Original note: Extending one's care for the old and young to others is principle being one; love without graded differences is two roots. Yang Shi, styled Zhongli, was a disciple of the Cheng brothers. The Western Inscription takes Heaven and Earth as parents and the myriad things as one body, which is principle being one; yet noble and humble, close and distant, high and low each have their proper measure, which is the distinction being many. Mozi was deluded by universal love, so he applied it indiscriminately without graded differences, giving to his parents the same as to a passerby, so that near and distant stand side by side and make two roots. Someone asked: Principle is one and its distinctions many; for example, siblings by birth, 'mine,' the great ruler, household stewards, elders and young, the crippled and sick (the base text has a corrupt reading here), each has its own grade: is that the place of the distinctions? Zhu Xi said: This is looking straight along; you must also look across. That Heaven's qi and Earth's substance and one's parents are one principle is certain, but between my parents and Heaven and Earth there is naturally a difference of closeness; within 'siblings by birth' there is already principle one and distinctions many, and within 'mine' too there is principle one and distinctions many. Guishan (the base text lost this character in transcription, as it is a rare character) was precisely doubting that 'siblings by birth' and 'mine' came close to Mozi, not knowing that each of them contains principle one and distinctions many within it.] The fault of the distinctions is that private interest wins and humaneness is lost; the fault of no distinctions is universal love without righteousness. [Knowing only that the distinctions differ and not that principle is one, one is blinded by the victory of selfish interest and loses the principle of impartial love; knowing only that principle is one and not that the distinctions differ, one errs by letting the feeling of universal love prevail and loses the proper way of bestowing love.] To establish the distinctions while pursuing the one principle, so as to halt the stream of selfish interest, is the method of practicing humaneness; to have no distinctions and be deluded by universal love to the extreme of having no father is the brigand that harms righteousness. You have lumped the two together, which is excessive. [To establish the distinctions and push on to the one principle is to be without the blindness of selfish interest, and this is the method of practicing humaneness, as in the Western Inscription; to bestow without graded differences and be deluded by universal love, until in the extreme one has no father, is the brigand that harms righteousness, as in Mozi.] Moreover, that writing wants people to push it forward and put it into practice, so it was meant for use from the start; to say instead that it does not reach function is rather strange, is it not? [The Western Inscription basically speaks of principle being one and wants people to extend the function of great impartiality. Because Guishan had doubts about universal love, Master Cheng also clarified the differences of the distinctions. In all this it is only natural principle. Someone said: Since it speaks both of principle being one and of the distinctions being many, are principle and distinctions two? The answer: If one pushes it from the standpoint of principle, those born together between Heaven and Earth share one body and one nature and cannot be viewed as different. But this principle has differences of measure and grades of weight, and what is called the distinctions is only the grades of this principle, not two separate ends.]"

橫渠先生又作砭愚曰戲言出於思也戲動作於謀也發於聲見乎四支謂非己心不明也欲人無巳疑不能也【言雖戲必以思而出也動雖戲必以謀而作也戲言發於聲戲動見乎四支謂非本於吾心是惑也本於吾心而欲人之不我疑不可得也】過言非心也過動非誠也失於聲繆迷其四體謂巳當然自誣也欲他人已從誣人也【言之過者非其心之本然也動之過者非其誠之實然也失於聲而為過言繆迷其四體而為過動謂之過者皆誤而非故也或者吝於改過遂以為巳之當然是自誣其心也既憚改而自誣又欲人之從之是誣人也此夫子所謂小人之過也必文孟子所謂過則順之又從而為之辭】或者謂出於心者歸咎為巳戲失於思者自誣為巳誠不知戒其出汝者歸咎其不出汝者長傲且遂非不知孰甚焉【戲謔出於心思乃故為也不知所當戒徒歸咎以為戲則長傲而慢愈滋矣過誤不出於心思乃偶失耳不知歸咎於偶失反自誣以為實則遂非而過不改矣○學者深省乎此則崇徳辨惑矯輕警惰之功亦大矣然其於戲且誤者克治尚如此之嚴況乎過之非戲誤者豈復留之纖芥以累其身心哉】橫渠學堂雙牖右書訂頑左書砭愚伊川曰是起爭端改訂頑曰西銘砭愚曰東銘【頑者暴忍而不仁愚者昏塞而不智訂頑主仁而義在其中砭愚主智而禮在其中】

Master Hengqu also wrote the Bian Yu and said: "Joking words come from thought, and joking actions are done through planning. They are uttered in the voice and seen in the limbs; to say they are not from one's own mind is lack of clarity, and to want others to have no suspicion of oneself is impossible. [Though speech is a joke, it must come out through thought; though action is a joke, it must be done through planning. A joking word is uttered in the voice and a joking action is seen in the limbs; to say they do not originate in my own mind is delusion, and if they originate in my mind, to want people not to doubt me cannot be obtained.] A mistaken word is not from the mind, and a mistaken action is not from sincerity. If one slips in the voice or confuses the limbs and says that one was right, this is deceiving oneself; and to want others to follow one is deceiving others. [A mistaken word is not what the mind originally intended, and a mistaken action is not the true state of sincerity. A slip in the voice makes a mistaken word, and confusion of the limbs makes a mistaken action. What is called a mistake is always an error and not deliberate. If one is reluctant to correct it and so takes oneself to be right, this is deceiving one's own mind; fearing correction and thus deceiving oneself while also wanting others to follow, this is deceiving others. This is what Confucius meant by 'the mistakes of a petty man are always dressed up,' and what Mencius meant by 'following a mistake and then making excuses for it.'] Or one attributes what comes from the mind to joking, and what slips from thought one deceives oneself by calling sincerity; not knowing to be on guard against what does come from oneself, and blaming what does not come from oneself, one feeds arrogance and pursues error. Which ignorance is greater? [A joke that comes from the mind and thought is deliberate; not knowing what one should guard against, and merely blaming it on joking, one increases arrogance and conceit all the more. A mistake that does not come from the mind and thought is a chance slip; not knowing to ascribe it to a chance slip, and deceiving oneself by treating it as real, one pursues error and does not correct the mistake. Note: if scholars reflect deeply on this, the work of exalting virtue, discerning delusion, correcting levity and warning against laziness will be great. Yet if even in jokes and mistakes self-discipline is so strict, how much more so with faults that are neither jokes nor mistakes: how could one leave even a speck to burden one's body and mind?]" Master Hengqu's school had windows on both sides; on the right he wrote the Ding Wan and on the left the Bian Yu. Yichuan said: "This stirs up contention." So the Ding Wan was renamed the Western Inscription, and the Bian Yu the Eastern Inscription. [Wan is cruelty and lack of humaneness, and yu is dimness and lack of wisdom. The Ding Wan chiefly concerns humaneness, with righteousness included in it; the Bian Yu chiefly concerns wisdom, with ritual propriety included in it.]

將修巳必先厚重以自持厚重知學徳乃進而不固矣忠信進徳惟尚友而急賢欲勝巳者親無如改過之不吝【橫渠文集下同説見論語○君子修己之道必以厚重為本苟輕浮則無受道之基然徒厚重而不知學則徳亦固滯而不進矣然進徳之道必以忠信為主而未忠信之輔者莫急於交勝巳之賢但或吝於改過則無所施其責善之道賢者亦不我親矣○學則不固之説與本文異此自是一義有益學者故取焉凡録經説有與本文異者放此】

Zhang Zai said: "If you are about to cultivate yourself, you must first be dignified and steady in order to hold yourself. Being dignified and steady while knowing how to learn, one's virtue and talent advance without becoming rigid. In advancing in virtue through loyalty and trustworthiness, one must above all value friends and make haste toward worthy people. If you want those who surpass you to draw near, nothing is better than correcting your faults without reluctance. [From Hengqu's Collected Works; the same applies below. The saying is found in the Analects. Note: The noble man's way of cultivating himself must take dignity and steadiness as its root; if one is frivolous, one has no foundation for receiving the Way. But if one is only dignified and does not know how to learn, then virtue too becomes rigid and does not advance. Yet the way of advancing in virtue must take loyalty and trustworthiness as its chief, and nothing is more urgent as a support for loyalty and trustworthiness than befriending worthy people who surpass oneself; but if one is reluctant to correct faults, there is no way to exercise the way of urging each other to goodness, and the worthy will not draw near to me. The saying 'if one learns, one does not become rigid' differs from the present text, but this is a separate meaning that benefits scholars and is therefore adopted. In all cases where a quoted classical saying differs from the present text, follow this example.]"

橫渠先生謂範巽之曰吾輩不及古人病源何在巽之請問先生曰此非難悟設此語者蓋欲學者存意之不忘庶遊心寖熟有一日脫然如大寐之得醒耳【範育字巽之○朱子曰橫渠說此語正要學者將此題目時時自省積乆貫熟而自得之耳又曰人於義理須如所謂脫然大寐之得醒方始是信得處】

Master Hengqu said to Fan Xunzhi: "We are not as good as the ancients; where does the sickness lie?" Xunzhi asked him to explain. The Master said: "This is not hard to grasp. I set this question so that scholars keep it in mind without forgetting it, in the hope that their minds will wander in it and become steeped in it until one day they suddenly awake as if from a great sleep. [Fan Yu, styled Xunzhi. Zhu Xi says: In saying these words, Hengqu wanted scholars to keep this topic before them and examine themselves with it constantly, until after long accumulation and familiarity they gain it of themselves. He also said: In matters of moral principle one must be like one who suddenly awakens from a deep sleep; only then is it a point one can truly believe.]"

未知立心惡思多之致疑既知所立惡講治之不精【立心未定而多思致惑則所向或移立心既定而講治粗疎則所業莫進】講治致思莫非術內雖勤而何厭所以急於可欲者求立吾心於不疑之地然後若決江河以利吾往【承上文而言致思講治乃窮理之事皆在吾學術之內初何厭乎勤此言講治之貴精然所以急於明可欲之善者蓋欲先定吾志無所疑惑然後能若決江河進而不可竭此言立心之必定】遜此志務時敏厥修乃來故雖仲尼之才之美然且敏以求之今持不逮之資而欲徐徐以聴其自適非所聞也【説見尚書○遜順也遜此志則立心以定務時敏則講學為急如是則所修乃日見其進也】

Zhang Zai said: "If one does not yet know how to set up the mind, one fears that much thought will lead to doubt; once one knows what to set up, one fears that discussion and study will not be refined. [If the setting up of the mind is not fixed and one thinks much, it leads to doubt and one's direction may shift; if the mind is already set but discussion and study are coarse, one's work does not advance.] Discussion, study and thought are all within the scope of learning, so even if one is diligent, why tire of it? Therefore the urgency about what is desirable is to seek to set up my mind in a place free of doubt, and then, like breaching a river, I go forward with advantage. [This continues the previous passage. Thought, discussion and study are the work of exhausting principle, and all lie within my learning, so why tire of diligence at the outset? This speaks of discussion and study valuing refinement. Yet the reason for urgency in clarifying the good that is desirable is that one wishes first to fix one's will without doubt, and then one can advance like a river that has been breached and cannot be exhausted. This speaks of how the setting up of the mind must be firm.] Being compliant with this will and striving to be quick in due season, what one cultivates will come. Therefore even though Zhongni's talent was beautiful, he still sought it with quickness; now to hold a disposition that cannot keep up and yet want to let it leisurely adjust itself is not what I have heard. [The saying is in the Book of Documents. 'Compliant' means to follow. To follow this will means the setting up of the mind is fixed, and to strive after timely quickness means one takes discussion and study as urgent; in this way what one cultivates shows progress day by day.]"

明善為本固執之乃立擴充之則大易視之則小在人能之而已【明善者為學之本知之既明由是固守之則此徳有立推廣之則此徳日大苟以忽心視之則所見者亦寖微矣】

Zhang Zai said: "Clarifying the good is the root; holding firmly to it establishes it, expanding it makes it great, and regarding it lightly makes it small; it lies only in whether a person can enlarge it (the base text lost this character in transcription, as it is a rare character). [Clarifying the good is the root of learning. Once knowledge is clear, by holding firmly to it from this point this virtue is established, and by extending it this virtue grows day by day; but if one views it with a careless mind, what one sees will gradually shrink as well.]"

今且只將尊徳性而道問學為心日自求於問學者有所背否於徳性有所懈否此義亦是博文約禮下學上達以此警防一年安得不長【尊者崇尚敬持之□道由也由學問而惟恐背違崇徳性而惟恐懈惰曰以此自省積之歳月則內外兼進矣尊徳性則是約禮上達之事道問學則是博文下學之事】毎日須求多少為益知所亡改得少不善此徳性上之益【學者日省其身所以増益其不知者何如所以改治其不善者何如以是存心則徳日新矣】讀書求義理編書須理防有所歸著勿徒寫過又多識前言徃行此問學上益也【讀書者必窮其義理不徒事章句訓詁之末編書者必求其指歸不徒務博洽紀録之功多識前哲之言行以廣所知則學日進矣】勿使有俄頃閒度逐日似此三年庻防有進【君子之學一有問斷則此心外馳徳性日隳學問日廢矣】為天地立心為生民立道為去聖繼絶學為萬世開太平【天地以生生為心聖人參贊化育使萬物各正其性命此為天地立心也建明義理扶植綱常此為生民立道也繼絶學謂纘述道統開太平如有王者起必來取法利澤垂於萬世學者以此立志則所任至大而不安於小成所存至公而不苟於近用】

Zhang Zai said: "For now, just keep in mind 'honoring the virtuous nature and following the path of inquiry and study,' and every day ask yourself: In inquiry and study, have I gone against anything? In virtuous nature, have I slackened? This meaning is also 'studying broadly and restraining oneself with ritual, learning below and reaching above.' Use this to keep yourself alert for a year, and how could you not improve? [To honor is to esteem and hold to reverently. To follow the path is to proceed by way of; proceeding by inquiry and study, fearing only to go against it, esteeming the virtuous nature, fearing only to grow lax. Examining oneself daily this way, over months and years one advances in both inner and outer. Honoring the virtuous nature is the matter of restraining oneself with ritual and reaching above; following the path of inquiry and study is the matter of broad learning and learning below.] Every day seek how much you have gained: knowing what is lacking and correcting a little of what is not good is a gain in virtuous nature. [Scholars examine themselves daily: how they have added to what they did not know, how they have mended what was not good. Keeping this in mind, virtue is renewed daily.] In reading, seek the meaning and principle; in compiling books, take care to find where things come to rest, and do not write them down in vain; also learn widely of the words and deeds of the former worthies. This is a gain in inquiry and study. [Those who read must exhaust the meaning and principle, not busy themselves with the tail end of phrases and glosses; those who compile must seek the main point, not merely strive for the merit of broad record. By learning widely of the words and deeds of earlier sages one broadens one's knowledge, and learning advances daily.] Do not let a moment pass idly; if you go on like this day by day, within three years you may hope to make progress. [With the gentleman's learning, once there is an interruption, the mind runs outward, the virtuous nature declines daily, and study is abandoned daily.] To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish the Way for the living people, to continue the lost learning of the former sages, and to open an age of great peace for ten thousand generations. [Heaven and Earth take ceaseless giving of life as their heart; the sage assists the transformations and nourishing so that all things each correct their nature and destiny, which is establishing a heart for Heaven and Earth; setting forth meaning and principle and upholding the bonds and constants is establishing the Way for the living people; continuing lost learning is carrying on the transmission of the Way; opening great peace means that if a true king arises he will surely draw on it, and its benefits will extend to ten thousand generations. If scholars set their aims thus, what they undertake is exceedingly great and they are not content with small attainment, and what they hold is utterly impartial and they do not make do with near-term use.]"

載所以使學者先學禮者只為學禮則便除去了世俗一副當習熟纒繞譬之延蔓之物解纒繞即上去苟能除去了一副當世習便自然脫灑也又學禮則可以守得定【學禮則可以消除習俗之累又有所依據而自守】

Zhang Zai said: "The reason I have scholars learn ritual first is only that learning ritual removes the entanglement of habits and customs of the world. Like a climbing vine, once the tangles are unraveled it goes up. If one can remove those worldly habits, one will naturally be free and easy. Moreover, learning ritual lets one stand firm. [Learning ritual can remove the burden of habit and custom, and one has something to rely on and keep oneself.]"

須放心寛快公平以求之乃可見道況徳性自廣大易曰窮神知化徳之盛也豈淺心可得【橫渠易説○人之徳性本自廣大故必廣大其心求之偏狹固滯豈足以見道也】

Zhang Zai said: "One must seek with a heart that is broad, open, and impartial in order to see the Way. All the more so since the virtuous nature is originally vast. The Book of Changes says: 'To exhaust the spirit and know transformation is the flourishing of virtue.' How could a shallow mind attain this? [From Hengqu's Explanation of the Changes. Note: A person's virtuous nature is originally vast, so one must broaden one's heart to seek it; how can a narrow and stagnant mind see the Way?]"

人多以老成則不肻下問故終身不知又為人以道義先覺處之不可復謂有所不知故亦不肻下問從不肻問遂生百端欺妄人我寜終身不知【橫渠論語説○言人虛驕恥於下問內則欺己外則欺人終於不知而已】

Zhang Zai said: "People often, because they are senior and experienced, refuse to ask questions, and so remain ignorant all their lives. Or because others regard them as having first awakened to the Way and righteousness, they cannot say they do not know something, and so also refuse to ask. From refusing to ask, a hundred kinds of deceit toward self and others arise, and they would rather remain ignorant all their lives. [From Hengqu's Explanation of the Analects. Note: This says that people are vainly proud and ashamed to ask those below them; within they deceive themselves, without they deceive others, and in the end remain ignorant.]"

多聞不足以盡天下之故苟以多聞而待天下之變則道足以酬其所甞知若劫之不測則遂窮矣【橫渠孟子説下同○故所以然也酬應也心通乎道則能盡夫事理之所以然故應變而不窮不通乎道而徒事乎記問則見聞有限而事變無窮卒然臨之以所未甞知則窮矣】

Zhang Zai said: "Wide hearing is not enough to exhaust the reasons why things are so under Heaven. If one meets the changes under Heaven by wide hearing, then one's Way is only enough to respond to what one has already known; if one is taken by surprise by the unforeseen, one is at a loss. [From Hengqu's Explanation of Mencius; likewise below. Note: 'Reason' means why things are so, and 'meet' means respond. When the heart is in communion with the Way, it can exhaust the reasons of things and affairs, and so responds to change without being at a loss; if one does not penetrate the Way and only busies oneself with memorization, then what is seen and heard is limited while changes of events are unlimited, and when suddenly faced with what one has never known, one is at a loss.]"

為學大益在自求變化氣質不爾皆為人之卒無所發明不得見聖人之奧【所貴於學正欲陶鎔氣質矯正偏駁不然則非為已之學亦何以推明聖人之蘊哉○朱子曰寛而栗柔而立剛而無虐簡而無傲便是教人變化氣質】

Zhang Zai said: "The great benefit of study lies in seeking to transform one's own temperament; otherwise, it is all the fault of studying for others, and in the end one brings nothing to light and cannot see the depths of the sage. [What is valued in learning is precisely molding the temperament and correcting its biases and impurities; otherwise it is not learning for oneself, and how could one then elucidate the sage's treasures? Note by Zhu Xi: 'Lenient yet firm, gentle yet established, strong yet not harsh, simple yet not arrogant' is precisely teaching people to transform their temperament.]"

文要宻察心要洪放【語録下同○文不宻察則見理粗疎心不洪放則所存狹滯】不知疑者只是不便實作既實作則須有疑有不行處是疑也【始學之士知必有所不明行必有所不通殊不知疑者是未甞實用功也】

Zhang Zai said: "Writing should be meticulous and discerning, the heart should be broad and expansive. [From the Recorded Sayings; likewise below. Note: If writing is not meticulous and discerning, one's view of principle is coarse; if the heart is not broad and expansive, what it holds is narrow and stagnant.] Those who do not know to doubt have simply never earnestly practiced; once one earnestly practices, there must be doubts. Where something cannot be put into practice, that is doubt. [Those who begin to learn know there must be things they do not understand and conduct that does not work. But they little realize that those who do not know to doubt have never truly applied effort.]"

心大則百物皆通心小則百物皆病【心大則寛平逺故處已待人無往而不達心小則偏急固陋無所處而不為病也】

Zhang Zai said: "When the heart is large, all things are open to it; when the heart is small, all things become afflictions. [A large heart is broad, even, vast, and far-reaching, so in dealing with oneself and others it reaches everywhere; a small heart is biased, hasty, obstinate, and shabby, so there is nowhere it does not create trouble.]"

人雖有功不及於學心亦不宜忘心苟不忘則雖接人事即是實行莫非道也心若忘之則終身由之只是俗事【人有妨廢學問之功者然心不忘乎學則日用無非道故曰即是實行心苟忘乎學則日用而不知故曰只是俗事實行與俗事非二事特以所存者不同耳】

Zhang Zai said: "Even if a person has affairs that leave no time for study, the heart should not forget it. If the heart does not forget, then even in dealing with others it is actual practice and is nothing other than the Way; if the heart forgets, then all one's life what one follows is only mundane affairs. [Some people have obstacles that interfere with their effort in study, but if the heart does not forget learning, daily life is nothing but the Way, hence it is called actual practice; if the heart forgets learning, one goes about daily life without understanding, hence it is called merely mundane. Actual practice and mundane affairs are not two things; the difference lies only in what is kept in mind.]"

合內外平物我此見道之大端【合內外者表裡一致就己而為言也平物我者物我一體合人己而為言也】

Zhang Zai said: "Uniting inner and outer, and leveling things and self: this is the great outline for seeing the Way. [Uniting inner and outer means that outside and inside are consistent, said from the standpoint of oneself; leveling things and self means that things and self are one body, said of uniting others and oneself.]"

既學而先有以功業為意者於學便相害既有意必穿鑿創意作起事端也徳未成而先以功業為事是代大匠斲希不傷手也【功業立言立事皆是也為學而先志於功業則穿鑿創造必害於道矣】竊甞病孔孟既歿諸儒囂然不知反約窮源勇於苟作持不逮之資而急知後世明者一覽如見肺肝然多見其不知量也方且創艾其黙養吾誠顧所患日力不足而未果他為也【不知反約窮源故浮淺而無實黙養吾誠則反約窮源之事也】學未至而好語變者必知終有患葢變不可輕議若驟然語變則知操術己不正【變者非常行之道葢權宜之事也自非見理明制義精者不足以與此苟學未至而輕於語變則知其學術之源己不正終必流於邪譎】

Zhang Zai said: "When one has already begun to learn but first has the idea of achievements in mind, it harms learning. Once there is such an intention, one will certainly force interpretations, invent meanings, and stir up affairs. To make achievements one's business before virtue is complete is like cutting and hewing in place of the master carpenter; few indeed do not injure their hands. [Achievements include both establishing teachings and establishing deeds. If in study one first sets one's will on achievements, one will force and invent, and surely harm the Way.] I privately regret that since Confucius and Mencius passed away, the many scholars have clamored without knowing to return to the essential and trace back to the source, and have boldly composed carelessly, relying on a gift that cannot reach it while hurrying to let later ages know. Clear-sighted people see through them as if seeing lungs and liver, and see mostly that they do not know their own measure. I am now disciplining that fault, silently nourishing my own sincerity, and fear only that the days are not enough, so I have not yet got round to anything else. [Not knowing to return to the essential and trace back to the source is why they are shallow and without substance; silently nourishing one's sincerity is precisely the work of returning to the essential and tracing back to the source.] Those who have not reached the end of their learning yet love to talk of expedient change will surely come to grief in the end. Change must not be lightly discussed; if one abruptly speaks of change, one knows that one's method is already not upright. [Change is the Way of extraordinary conduct and a matter of expedient adaptation. Only one whose view of principle is clear and whose judgment of righteousness is precise is fit to take part in this. If learning has not arrived and one lightly speaks of change, one knows the source of one's learning is already not upright and will in the end drift into deviance and trickery.]"

凡事蔽葢不見底只是不求益【行已無隠則是非善惡有所取正庻可增益其所未知所未能苟故為蔽覆恐人之知是則非求益者也】有人不肻言其道義所得所至不得見底又非於吾言無所不説【人不肻言其知之所得行之所至使人不可得而見者葢苟安自足恐人之非己又非若顔子之如愚於聖言無所不説者之比也】耳目役於外攬外事者其實是自惰不肻自治只言短長不能反躬者也【急於自治何暇務外厚於反躬何暇議人】

Zhang Zai said: "In all matters, what is veiled and covered and cannot be seen is simply a failure to seek improvement. [If in conducting oneself there is no concealment, then right and wrong, good and bad have a place to be corrected, and one may hope to increase what one has not known and could not do. If one deliberately covers up for fear that others will know, this is not someone who seeks improvement.] Some are unwilling to speak of what they have gained or reached in the Way and righteousness, so that others cannot see it, which is also not being someone who is pleased with all my words. [Those who are unwilling to speak of what they have gained in knowledge or reached in practice, so that others cannot see it, are complacent and self-satisfied and fear criticism, and are not comparable to Yan Hui who seemed like a fool and was pleased with all the sage's words.] Those whose ears and eyes are engaged outward and who take on outside affairs are in fact lazy and unwilling to govern themselves, and only talk of others' strengths and weaknesses, unable to turn back to examine themselves. [One hurrying to govern oneself has no leisure to attend to the outer; one generous in self-examination has no leisure to criticize others.]"

學者大不宜志小氣輕志小則易足易足則無由進氣輕則以未知為己知未學為己學【志小則易於自是故怠惰而無新功氣輕則易於自大故虛誕而無實得】

Zhang Zai said: "Scholars must above all avoid small ambition and light spirit. Small ambition is easily satisfied, and being easily satisfied there is no progress; a light spirit takes the unknown to be known and the unlearned to be learned. [Small ambition easily deems itself right, so it is idle and lacks new effort; a light spirit easily grows arrogant, so it is boastful and gains nothing real.]"

此卷論致知知之至而後有以行之自首段至二十一段總論致知之方然致知莫大於讀書二十三段至三十三段總論讀書之法三十四段以後乃分論讀書之法而以書之先後為序始於大學使知為學之規模次序而後繼之以論孟詩書義理充足於中則可探大本一原之妙故繼之以中庸達乎本原則可以窮神知化故繼之以易理之明義之精而達乎造化之蘊則可以識聖人之大用故繼之以春秋明乎春秋之用則可推以觀史而辨其是非得失之致矣橫渠易説以下則仍語録之序而周官之義因以具焉

This volume discusses the extension of knowledge. Only when knowledge reaches its utmost can there be real practice. From the first section to the twenty-first, it discusses in general the methods of extending knowledge. Yet nothing in extending knowledge is greater than reading: sections twenty-three to thirty-three discuss in general the methods of reading; from section thirty-four onward it discusses the methods of reading separately, ordered by the sequence of the books. One begins with the Great Learning, so as to know the scale and order of study, and then continues with the Analects, Mencius, the Odes, and the Documents. When meaning and principle are abundant within, one can probe the wonder of the one great root and single source, so one continues with the Zhongyong. Having reached the root and source, one can exhaust the spirit and know transformation, so one continues with the Changes. When principle is clear and meaning refined and one has penetrated the treasures of creation and transformation, one can recognize the sage's great function, so one continues with the Spring and Autumn Annals. Having understood the use of the Spring and Autumn Annals, one can extend it to the reading of history and discern the finer points of right and wrong, gain and loss. From Hengqu's Explanation of the Changes onward, the order of the Recorded Sayings is followed, and in this way the meaning of the Rites of Zhou is also provided for.

伊川先生答朱長文書曰心通乎道然後能辨是非如持權衡以較輕重孟子所謂知言是也【道者事物當然之理通曉達也知言者天下之言無不究明其理而識其是非之所以然】心不通乎道而較古人之是非猶不持權衡而酌輕重竭其目力勞其心智雖使時中亦古人所謂億則屢中君子不貴也【文集下同説見論語○時中謂有時而中之億以意揣度也揣度而中則非明理之至矣】

In his reply to Zhu Changwen, Master Yichuan said: "When the heart is in communion with the Way, one can then discern right and wrong, as if holding a balance to weigh light and heavy. What Mencius called knowing words is just this. [The Way is the principle of what things should be; 'communion' means thorough understanding. Knowing words is to thoroughly examine the principle of all the words under Heaven and recognize why they are right or wrong.] To judge the rights and wrongs of the ancients when the heart is not in communion with the Way is like weighing light and heavy without holding a balance; though one exhausts one's eyesight and wearies one's mind, even if one occasionally hits the mark, it is what the ancients called 'guessing and often hitting,' which the gentleman does not value. [From the Collected Works; likewise below. Explained in the Analects. Note: 'Occasionally hits' means sometimes right; 'guessing' means estimating by speculation. Speculating and hitting the mark is not the utmost of understanding principle.]"

伊川先生答門人曰孔孟之門豈皆賢哲固多眾人以眾人觀聖賢弗識者多矣惟其不敢信己而信其師是故求而後得今諸君與頤言才不合則置不復思所以終異也不可便放下更且思之致知之方也

Master Yichuan, replying to his disciples, said: "Were all in the schools of Confucius and Mencius worthies and sages? Certainly most were ordinary people. When ordinary people look at sages and worthies, much goes unrecognized. It was only because they did not dare trust themselves but trusted their teacher that they sought and then attained. Now you gentlemen speak with me, and as soon as something does not fit, you drop it and no longer think about it, so in the end you are not the same. One must not drop it at once; think about it a little more. This is the method of extending knowledge."

伊川先生答橫渠先生曰所論大槩有苦心極力之象而無寛裕溫厚之氣非明睿所照而考索至此故意屢偏而言多窒小出入時有之【本注云明所照者如目所覩纎微盡識之矣考索至者如揣料於物約見髣髴爾能無差乎】更願完養思慮涵泳義理他日自當條暢【苦思強索則易至於鑿而不足以達於理涵泳深厚則明睿自生】

Master Yichuan, replying to Master Hengqu, said: "Your discussions generally show signs of painful effort and strained exertion, and lack a generous, mild, and warm spirit; they are not what the light of insight illuminates but what has been reached by research and searching, so the ideas are often one-sided, the words often obstructed, and small errors appear from time to time. [Original note: What is illuminated by insight is like what the eyes see, where every minute detail is recognized; what is reached by research is like guessing about an object, seeing only a rough resemblance; can one avoid error?] I would rather you nourish your thinking and soak in meaning and principle, and some day it will naturally flow smoothly. [Painful thinking and forced searching easily end in over-carving and fail to reach principle; deep and abundant soaking naturally brings forth bright insight.]"

欲知得與不得於心氣上驗之思量有得中心悅豫沛然有裕者實得也思慮有得心氣勞耗者實未得也強揣度耳【學固原於思然所貴從容饜飫而自得不可勞心極慮而強通】甞有人言比因學道思慮心虛曰人之血氣固有虛實疾病之來聖賢所不免然未聞自古聖賢因學而致心疾者【遺書下同】今日雜信鬼怪異説者只是不先燭理若於事上一一理防則有甚盡期須只於學上理防【講學則理明而怪妖不足以惑之矣】學原於思【學以明理為先善思則則睿生而物理可格】

Cheng Yi said: "If you want to know whether you have attained it or not, test it by the state of the heart and its energy. If in thinking you gain something and the heart within is glad and flows freely with room to spare, that is real attainment; if you gain something in thought but the heart and energy are worn and drained, then in truth you have not attained it and are only forcing a guess. [Learning certainly arises from thinking, but what is valued is attaining it by oneself, at ease and fully satiated; one must not strain the mind and exhaust thought to force a breakthrough.] Someone once said: Lately my heart has felt empty from thinking about studying the Way. Answer: A person's blood and energy certainly have fullness and emptiness, and sickness comes even to sages and worthies, but I have never heard that sages and worthies of old developed heart illness from study. [From the Surviving Writings; likewise below.] Those who now indiscriminately believe in ghosts and strange doctrines simply do not first illuminate principle. If one tries to understand each matter one by one, where would there be an end? One must only work it out in learning. [By studying, principle becomes clear, and ghosts and demons cannot confuse him.] Learning arises from thinking. [In study, clarifying principle comes first. One who thinks well brings forth insight, and the principles of things can be investigated.]"

所謂日月至焉與久而不息者所見規模雖略相似其意味氣象迥別【學者於仁或日或月而至焉方其至之時其視夫三月不違者所造所見亦無以異但其意味氣象則淺深厚薄迥然不同】須濳心黙識玩索久之庶防自得學者不學聖人則已欲學之須熟玩味聖人之氣象不可只於名上理防如此只是講論文字【濳玩聖賢氣象庻養之厚而得之深若徒考論文義則末矣】

Cheng Yi said: "Those who reach humaneness 'for a day or a month' and those who maintain it 'long without ceasing,' though what they see may be roughly similar in outline, differ utterly in flavor and bearing. [A scholar reaches humaneness for a day or a month. At the moment of reaching it, what he sees of that three-month non-departure is no different, but the flavor and bearing differ utterly in depth and richness.] One must immerse the mind, quietly recognize, and savor and probe for a long time; then one may hope to gain it oneself. Scholars who do not learn from the sages are another matter; if you want to learn, you must thoroughly savor the bearing of the sages and must not merely work at names. That would only be discussing the text. [Quietly savoring the bearing of the sages and worthies, one may hope to nourish deeply and gain deeply; if one merely studies the meaning of the text, that is the tail end.]"

問忠信進徳之事固可勉強然致知甚難【忠信進徳力行也謂行可以強而進知不可以強而至】伊川先生曰學者固當勉強然須是知了方行得若不知只是覻卻堯學他行事無堯許多聰明睿知怎生得如他動容周旋中禮【學者當以致知為先苟明有所不至徒規規然學堯行事其可得乎】如子所言是篤信而固守之非固有之也【固守者勉強而堅執固有者從容而自得】未致知便欲識意是躐等也勉強行者安能持久【忠信即誠意之事欲誠其意者先致其知知有未至而勉強以為忠信其能久乎】除非燭理明自然樂循理性本善循理而行是順理事本亦不難但為人不知旋安排著便道難也【見理明則真知而實信之自然樂於循理葢人性本善順理而行宜無待於勉強惟於理有未知或知有未盡臨事佈置故覺其難】知有多少般數煞有深淺學者須是真知才知得是便泰然行將去也【真知者知之至也真知其是則順而行之莫能遏矣】某年二十時解釋經義與今無異然思今日覺得意味與少時自別【此可見先生致知之功進徳之實而聖經之防要必玩味積久乃能真知而亦不徒在於解釋文義而已】

Someone asked: Loyalty, trustworthiness, and advancing in virtue can certainly be done with effort, but extending knowledge is hard. [Loyalty, trustworthiness, and advancing in virtue are strenuous practice. This says that conduct can be forced forward, but knowledge cannot be forced to arrive.] Master Yichuan said: "Scholars certainly should make an effort, but one must first know in order to be able to act. If one does not know and merely looks at Yao and imitates his conduct, without Yao's many kinds of intelligence and sagacity, how could one move and turn in accord with ritual as he did? [Scholars should put extending knowledge first. If one's understanding falls short and one only earnestly imitates Yao's conduct, can one succeed?] As in what you said, it is firmly believing and firmly holding, not inherently possessing. [Firmly holding is forcing and clinging; inherently possessing is attaining at ease.] To want sincerity of intention before extending knowledge is to skip a stage. How can what is done by force last? [Loyalty and trustworthiness are matters of sincerity of intention. One who wants to make his intention sincere must first extend his knowledge. If knowledge has not arrived and one forces oneself to be loyal and trustworthy, can it last?] Unless one's illumination of principle is clear, one will naturally delight in following principle. Human nature is originally good, and following principle is a matter of accord, originally not hard either; it is only because people do not know and set things up on the spot that they say it is hard. [When one sees principle clearly, one truly knows and truly believes it, and naturally delights in following principle. Human nature is originally good, and acting in accord with principle should not need forcing; it is only because there is something in principle one does not know or knows incompletely, and so arranges things upon facing an affair, that one finds it hard.] There are many kinds of knowing, with great differences in depth. Scholars must truly know, and then when they know it is right they will go forward with ease. [True knowledge is the utmost of knowing. When one truly knows it is right, one follows it, and nothing can stop one.] When I was twenty, my explanations of the classics were no different from now, yet I feel that the flavor now is distinct from what it was in my youth. [This shows the Master's effort in extending knowledge and the reality of his advance in virtue, and that the essence of the sages' classics must be savored and accumulated over a long time before one can truly know, and it does not lie merely in explaining the meaning of the text.]"

凡一物上有一理須是窮致其理窮理亦多端或讀書講明義理或論古今人物別其是非或應接事物而處其當皆窮理也【三者窮理之目當隨寓而究竟然讀書講明義理尤為要切而觀人處事之準則要亦於書而得之】或問格物須物物格之還只格一物而萬理皆知曰怎得便防貫通若只格一物便通眾理雖顔子亦不敢如此道須是今日格一件明日又格一件積習既多然後脫然自有貫通處【朱子曰程子説格物曰格至也格物而至於物則物理盡意向俱到不可移易天生烝民有物有則物者形也則者理也人其是物而不能明其物之理則無以順性命之正而處事物之當故必即是物以求之知求其理矣而不知乎物之極則事之理有未窮而吾之知亦未盡故必至其極而後已】又曰所務於窮理者非道盡窮了天下萬物之理又不道是窮得一理便到只要積累多後自然見去【朱子曰今人務博者卻要盡窮天下之理務約者又謂反身而誠則天下之物無不在我此皆不是唯程子積累貫通之説為妙】

Cheng Yi said: "In every single thing there is a principle, and one must exhaust that principle. There are many ways to exhaust principle: reading books and explaining meaning and principle; discussing ancient and modern figures and discerning right from wrong; or responding to affairs and handling them appropriately; all are exhausting principle. [These three are the items of exhausting principle, and one should pursue them to the end as one meets them. But reading books and explaining meaning and principle is especially vital, and the standards for observing people and handling affairs also come, in the main, from books.]" Someone asked: In investigating things, must one investigate thing after thing, or does investigating a single thing let one know all principles? Answer: "How could one at once have thorough understanding? If investigating a single thing gave one understanding of all principles, even Yan Hui would not dare say so. One must investigate one thing today and another tomorrow, and when accumulated practice is great, then one suddenly finds the point of thorough understanding. [Zhu Xi said: Master Cheng's account of investigating things: 'investigate' means to reach. Investigating things so as to reach things means the principles of things are exhausted and the intent fully arrives and cannot be shifted. Heaven gave birth to the multitude of people; where there is a thing, there is a rule. The thing is the form; the rule is the principle. A person has this thing but cannot illuminate its principle, and so has no way to follow the correct course of nature and destiny and handle affairs and things fittingly, so one must seek it through this very thing. If one knows to seek its principle but does not reach the thing's utmost, then the principle of the matter has not been exhausted and my knowledge is also incomplete, so one must reach its utmost before stopping.]" He also said: "The point of exhausting principle is not to say one exhausts the principles of all the myriad things under Heaven, nor to say that exhausting a single principle suffices; it is only that when accumulated enough, one will naturally see through. [Zhu Xi said: People today who devote themselves to breadth want to exhaust all principles under Heaven, while those who devote themselves to concision say that when one turns back and is sincere in oneself, all things under Heaven are in me; neither is right. Only Master Cheng's account of accumulation and thorough understanding is wonderful.]"

思曰睿思慮久後睿自然生【説見尚書○睿通微也人心虛靈本然明徳致思窮理久自通微】若於一事上思未得且別換一事思之不可專守著這一事葢人之知識於這裡蔽著雖強思亦不通也【致知之道弗明弗措然人心亦有偏暗處當且置之庶不滯於一隅】

Cheng Yi said: "'Thinking is called insight': when one has thought for a long time, insight naturally arises. [Explained in the Book of Documents. Note: Insight is penetrating the subtle. The human heart is empty and numinous and its bright virtue is originally so; by focusing thought and exhausting principle, over time one naturally penetrates the subtle.] If on one matter thought does not yield, put it aside for a while and think about another, and do not stubbornly stay with this one. For a person's knowledge is blocked here, and even forced thinking will not break through. [The way of extending knowledge is not to stop until it is clear. Yet the human heart also has biased and dark spots, so one should put it down for a while and thus hope not to be stuck in one corner.]"

問人有志於學然知識蔽固力量不至則如之何曰只是致知若知識明則力量自進【真知事理之當然則自有不容己者】問觀物察己還因見物反求諸身否曰不必如此説物我一理才明彼即曉此此合內外之道也【天下無二理物之理即吾心之理也因見物而反求諸身則是以物我為二致】又問致知先求之四端如何曰求之情性固是切於身然一草一木皆有理須是察【四端説見孟子理散於萬物而實防於吾心皆所當察也】又曰自一身之中以至萬物之理但理防得多胷次自然豁然有覺處【按上段曰積習既多然後脫然自有貫通處又曰積累多後自然見去又曰理防得多自然豁然有覺處再三言之惟欲學者隨事窮格積習既多於天下事物各有以見其當然之則一旦融防貫通表裡洞徹則覺斯道之大原全吾心之本體物既格而知且至矣其在孔門則顔子卓然之後曽子一唯之時乎或者厭乎觀理之煩而遽希一貫之妙或專滯於文義之末而終昧上達之防皆不足有見於是道也】

Someone asked: A person has set his will on learning, but his knowledge is clouded and obstinate and his strength falls short; what then? Cheng Yi said: "Just extend knowledge. If knowledge is clear, strength will advance of itself. [If one truly knows how things and affairs ought to be, one will naturally be unable to stop.]" Asked: In observing things and examining oneself, does one turn back to oneself because one has seen things? He answered: "There is no need to put it that way. Things and self share one principle; as soon as one understands that side, one understands this side, and this is the Way of uniting inner and outer. [There are not two principles under Heaven; the principle of things is the principle of my own heart. If one turns back to oneself because one has seen things, then one is treating things and self as two ends.]" Asked again: What of seeking first in the Four Beginnings in order to extend knowledge? He answered: "Seeking in feelings and nature is certainly close to oneself, but every blade of grass and every tree has principle, and one must examine it. [The Four Beginnings are discussed in the Mencius. Principle is scattered among the myriad things yet is truly rooted (the original reads "shi fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "ben") in my own heart, and all of it should be examined.]" He also said: "From one's own person to the principle of the myriad things, if one only comes to understand (the original reads "li fang") a great deal, the mind will naturally open up and have a place of awakening. [Consider the earlier passage saying 'after much accumulated practice one suddenly has a point of penetrating comprehension,' and another saying 'after much accumulation one naturally sees through,' and another saying 'when one understands a great deal one naturally opens up and has a place of awakening.' He repeated this again and again only because he wanted learners to investigate things as they come; when practice has accumulated, one sees the proper standard of each thing and affair under Heaven, and one day, melting it all together (the original reads "rong fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "hui") into penetrating comprehension, inside and out transparent, one awakens to the great source of this Way and completes the original substance of one's own heart; things have then been investigated and knowledge has arrived. In the Confucian school this would be Master Yan after he stood out firmly, or Master Zeng at the moment of his single "yes." Some grow weary of the tedium of observing principle and urgently seek the wonder of the single thread; others cling to the trivia of textual meaning and in the end remain ignorant of the way to ascend to what is higher (the original has "fang" here as well). Neither is enough to gain insight into this Way.]"

思曰睿睿作聖致思如掘井初有渾水久後稍引動得清者出來人思慮始皆溷濁久自明快【致思則能通乎理故明睿生充其睿則可以入聖域故睿作聖然致思之始疑慮方生所以溷濁致思之久疑慮既消自然明快此由思而生睿也】

Cheng Yi said: "'Thinking is called insight, and insight makes a sage.' Focused thought is like digging a well: at first the water is muddy, but after a while a little clear water is drawn out. When a person starts to think, everything is murky, but after a long time it naturally becomes clear and bright. [Focused thought can penetrate principle, so insight is born; carrying that insight to its fullness, one can enter the realm of the sage, so insight makes a sage. But at the start of focused thought, doubts have just arisen and so it is murky; after thinking for long, doubts dissolve and it naturally becomes clear. This is how insight is born from thought.]"

問如何是近思曰以類而推【思慮泛逺而不循序漸進則勞心而無得即吾所知者以類推之則心路易通而思有條理是謂近思○朱子曰若是真個劈初頭理防得一件分曉透徹便逐件如此理防去相次亦不難又曰從已理防得處推將去便不隔越若逺去尋討則不切已】

Someone asked: What is it to think about what is near at hand? Cheng Yi said: "To reason by analogy from kind to kind. [If thought ranges far and wide without proceeding step by step, the mind toils and gains nothing. If one takes what one knows and extends it by analogy, the paths of the mind are easily opened and thought is orderly; this is called thinking about what is near. Zhu Xi said: If one really starts out by understanding one matter thoroughly and clearly, and then goes on understanding each matter in this way, one after another it is not difficult. He also said: Extending from what one already understands, there is no gap; if one goes far off searching, it does not touch oneself.]"

學者先要防疑【朱子曰書始讀未知有疑其次漸有疑又其次節節有疑過了此一番後疑漸漸釋以至融防貫通都無可疑方始是學】

Master Cheng said: "The learner must first know how to doubt (the original reads "fang yi", where "fang" should be a corruption of "hui"). [Zhu Xi said: When one first reads a book, one does not yet know to have doubts; next, doubts gradually arise; then doubts arise at every point; after passing through this stage the doubts gradually dissolve, until one melts everything together (the original reads "rong fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "hui") into penetrating comprehension with nothing left to doubt, and only then is it learning.]"

橫渠先生答範巽之曰所訪物怪神奸此非難語顧語未必信耳【物異為怪神妖為奸見理未明自不能無疑雖得於人言亦未必信】孟子所論知性知天學至於知天則物所從出當源源自見知所從出則物之當有當無莫不心諭亦不待語而後知【天者物理之所自出知天則通乎幽明之故察乎事物之原而妖異之所由興皆可識矣】諸公所論但守之不失不為異端所劫進進不已則物怪不須辨異端不必攻不逾期年吾道勝矣【學者知有未至且堅守正論不為邪妄所奪又能進於學而不已則怪異不必攻辨將自識破】若欲委之無窮付之以不可知則學為疑撓智為物昏交來無間卒無以自存而溺於怪妄必矣【文集下同○不能堅守正論內懷疑端外為邪蔽久則所惑愈深矣】

Master Hengqu, replying to Fan Xunzhi, said: "The strange things and spirit-demons you ask about are not hard to explain, but I fear that once I have spoken you may not believe it. [A thing that is abnormal is a strange thing; a spirit that is perverse is a demon. When one's insight into principle is not yet clear, one naturally cannot be without doubts, and even if one learns it from someone's words, one may not believe it.] Mencius discussed knowing nature and knowing Heaven: when learning reaches knowing Heaven, then where things come from will appear clearly and unceasingly; knowing where they come from, one will be clear in one's heart about whether a thing ought to exist or not, without waiting for explanation before knowing. [Heaven is where the principles of things come from. To know Heaven is to penetrate the reasons of the hidden and the manifest and examine the origins of things and affairs, so that the causes of the rise of strange phenomena can all be recognized.] As for what all of you discuss, simply hold fast and do not lose it, do not be seized by heterodox teachings, and advance without stopping; then strange things need not be argued over and heterodoxies need not be attacked, and in less than a year our Way will prevail. [When the learner's knowledge has not yet arrived, let him firmly hold to correct teaching, not be carried off by the perverse and false, and also advance in learning without stopping; then the strange need not be attacked or disputed and will be seen through of themselves.] If instead you want to leave it to the limitless and hand it over to the unknowable, then learning will be harassed by doubt and wisdom darkened by things, which come one after another without a gap, and in the end you will have no way to preserve yourself and will certainly be drowned in strange falsehoods. [From the Wenji; the same applies below. If one cannot firmly hold correct teaching, harbors doubts within and is blinded by perversity without, then over time one's confusion grows deeper.]"

子貢謂夫子之言性與天道不可得而聞既言夫子之言則是居常語之矣聖門學者以仁為己任不以苟知為得必以了悟為聞因有是説【性者人心稟賦之理天道者造化流行之妙以仁為己任葢期於實體而自得也苟知者徒聞其説了悟者深達其理然則後之學者髙談性命而實不領防者可以自省矣】

Zhang Zai said: "Zigong said that the Master's words about nature and the Way of Heaven could not be heard. Since he says 'the Master's words,' it means they were spoken in ordinary conversation. The students of the sage's school took humaneness as their own responsibility and did not count casual knowing as attainment; they had to take enlightened understanding as hearing, and that is why he spoke this way. [Nature is the principle bestowed on the human heart, and the Way of Heaven is the wondrous flow of creation and transformation. To take humaneness as one's own responsibility is to hope to embody it and gain it for oneself. Casual knowing is merely hearing the doctrine, while enlightened understanding is penetrating deeply into its principle. So later learners who speak loftily of nature and destiny but in fact do not grasp them (the original reads "ling fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "hui") may examine themselves.]"

義理之學亦須深沉【一作玩】方有造非淺易輕浮之可得也【朱子曰聖人言語一重又一重須入深處看方有得若只見皮膚便有差錯】

Zhang Zai said: "The study of meaning and principle also requires depth and steadiness [one text has "savoring" in place of this] before one can achieve anything; it cannot be gained by what is shallow, easy or frivolous. [Zhu Xi said: The sages' words come layer upon layer, and one must look into the depths to gain anything; if one sees only the surface, one will go wrong.]"

學不能推究事理只是心麤至如顔子未至於聖人處猶是心麤【顔子不能不違仁於三月之後者是其察理猶或有一毫之未精故所存猶或有一毫之間防】

Zhang Zai said: "If learning cannot investigate the principle of things, it is only because the mind is coarse. Even Master Yan's falling short of the sage was still a matter of coarseness of mind. [Master Yan could not avoid departing from humaneness after three months, which shows that his examination of principle may still have lacked a hair's breadth of refinement, so that what he held on to may still have had a hair's breadth of interruption (the original reads "jian fang", where "fang" should be a corruption of "duan").]"

博學於文者只要得習坎心亨葢人經歴險阻艱難然後其心亨通【上下坎為習坎卦當重險而彖辭曰維心亨人之博學窮理始多齟齬積習既久自然心通】

Zhang Zai said: "To study widely in the texts one needs only to attain the 'heart that penetrates' of the repeated pit hexagram (xikan). For only after a person has passed through danger and hardship does his heart become open and penetrating. [Kan above and kan below make the double Kan hexagram. The hexagram faces double danger, yet the Judgment says 'only the heart penetrates.' When a person studies broadly and investigates principle, he at first meets many frictions, but after long practice the mind naturally becomes open.]"

義理有疑則濯去舊見以來新意【心有所疑而滯於舊見則偏執固吝新意何從而生舊疑何自而釋】心中有所開即便劄記不思則還塞之矣【疑義有所通隨即劄記則已得者可以不忘未得者可以有進不記則思不起猶山徑之蹊間不用則茅塞之矣】更須得朋友之助一日間意思差別須日日如此講論久則自覺進也【按此段及焞到問為學之方一段泉州本皆系卷末而舊本則此段在第二十一尹問一段在三十三今考此卷編輯之意則二段乃總論致知不當在卷末無疑也但舊本此段不全載心中有所開以下云云恐是後來欲添足此數語傳者誤成重出耳又詳此段已是專論讀書之法不當在廿一疑當時欲移在尹問之後故並録之耳今不敢輕改姑從舊本而添入心中有所開數語】

Zhang Zai said: "When there is doubt about meaning and principle, wash away old views to welcome new ideas. [If the mind has doubts yet is stuck in old views, then it is biased, obstinate and stingy; where would new ideas come from, and how would old doubts be resolved?] When something opens up in the mind, write it down at once as a note; without thinking, it gets blocked again. [When a doubtful point is cleared, write it down at once, and then what has been gained will not be forgotten and what has not yet been gained can progress. If it is not recorded, thought will not rise, like a small mountain path that is overgrown with thatch if it goes unused for a time.] One must also have the help of friends. If one's ideas differ over the course of a day, one must discuss every day in this way, and after long practice one will feel oneself advancing. [Note on this passage and the passage in which Yin Dun asks about the method of learning: in the Quanzhou edition both are placed at the end of the volume, whereas in the old edition this passage is in section twenty-one and Yin's question is in section thirty-three. Considering now the editorial intent of this volume, these two passages are a general discussion of extending knowledge and certainly should not be at the end of the volume. But the old edition did not give in full the part of this passage from 'when something opens up in the mind' onward; perhaps these lines were added later, and the transmitters mistakenly made it a duplicate. Moreover, this passage is already devoted to the method of reading and should not be in section twenty-one; probably it was meant to be moved after Yin's question, and so was recorded along with it. We do not dare to change it lightly, and tentatively follow the old edition while adding the few lines 'when something opens up in the mind.']"

凡致思到説不得處始複審思明辨乃為善學也若告子則到説不得處遂已更不復求【橫渠孟子説○思之其説似窮然後更加審思明辨之功則其窮者通而所得者深也若告子不得於言不復求之於心固執偏見而不求至當此孟子所深病也○此以上總論致知之方以下乃專論求之於書者詳見卷首】

Zhang Zai said: "Whenever thinking reaches a point where one cannot say anything more, only if one again deliberates and discriminates carefully is one a good learner. Gaozi, by contrast, stopped when he reached the point where he could not say anything more, and sought no further. [From Hengqu's Mengzi shuo (Explanation of the Mencius). When thought reaches a point where the account seems exhausted, and one then applies more careful deliberation and discrimination, what seemed exhausted is opened up and what is gained is deeper. As for Gaozi, who did not get it in words and did not again seek it in the heart, clinging to a one-sided view and not seeking what is most fitting, this is what Mencius deeply condemned. Everything above is a general discussion of the method of extending knowledge; what follows deals specifically with seeking it in books, as explained at the head of the volume.]"

伊川先生曰凡看文字先須曉其文義然後可求其意未有文義不曉而見意者也【遺書下同】

Master Yichuan said: "In reading any text, one must first understand its literal meaning, and only then can one seek its idea. No one has ever grasped the idea without understanding the literal meaning. [From the Yishu (Surviving Writings); the same applies below.]"

學者要自得六經浩乍來難盡曉且見得路徑後各自立得一個門庭歸而求之可矣【識路徑則知趨向立門庭則有規模得於師友者如此然後歸而求之可矣】

Cheng Yi said: "The learner must gain it for himself. The Six Classics are vast and boundless (the original has a rare character here that was lost in transcription), and at first it is hard to understand them completely; first see the path, then each of you establish a gateway of your own, and go back and seek within it, and that will do. [Recognizing the path, one knows the direction; establishing a gateway, one has a framework. What one gets from teachers and friends is just this, and then one goes back and seeks it, and that is enough.]"

凡解文字但易其心自見理理只是人理甚分明如一條平坦底道路詩曰周道如砥其直如矢此之謂也【理本平直苟以﨑嶇委曲之意求之乃失之鑿詩見小雅大東篇】或曰聖人之言恐不可以淺近看他曰聖人之言自有近處自有深逺處如近處怎生強要鑿教深逺得【聖人之道逺近精麤無所不備故聖人之言道亦無所不至如食無求飽居無求安是其近者如一貫之防性天之言是其逺者固無非道也又豈容盡求其深逺而過為穿鑿邪】子曰聖人之言逺如天賢人之言近如地頤與改之曰聖人之言其遠如天其近如地【其逺者雖子貢猶未易得而聞其近者雖鄙夫可得而竭也○或曰聖人之言包蓄無所不盡語近而不遺乎逺語逺而不遺乎近故曰其逺如天其近如地非但髙逺而已愚按此段本欲人平心以觀書不可妄生穿鑿又謂聖人之言自有逺處自有近處如此則謂語近而不遺乎逺者意自不同也前説為是】

Cheng Yi said: "In interpreting any text, one need only set the mind level, and principle will naturally appear. Principle is only human principle, very clear, like a level and smooth road. The Poetry says: 'The road of Zhou is like a whetstone, as straight as an arrow.' This is what is meant. [Principle is originally level and straight; if one seeks it with a twisting, winding intent, one errs by forcing it. The poem is in 'Da dong' in the Lesser Odes.]" Someone said: The sage's words perhaps cannot be viewed as shallow. He answered: "The sage's words have near places and have deep and distant places. Where they are near, how can one force them to be deep and distant? [The Way of the sages includes everything, near and far, refined and coarse, so the sages' words about the Way likewise reach everywhere. 'In eating, do not seek to be full; in dwelling, do not seek to be comfortable' is near; the point of the single thread and the words on nature and the Way of Heaven are far. All of these are the Way, so how could one insist on finding everything deep and distant and force it by over-interpretation?]" Yang Xiong (the original has a rare character here that was lost in transcription) said: 'The words of the sage are as distant as Heaven; the words of the worthy are as near as Earth.' I changed it to: 'The words of the sage are as distant as Heaven and as near as Earth.' [Their distance is such that even Zigong could not easily hear it, and their nearness is such that even a rustic can exhaust it. Some say: The sage's words contain and store everything without exhaustion; speaking of the near they do not omit the distant, and speaking of the distant they do not omit the near, so it is said 'as distant as Heaven, as near as Earth,' and not merely lofty and far. Ye Cai notes: This passage means to have people read books with a level mind and not make forced interpretations, and it also says the sage's words have their distant places and their near places; this is by nature different from the idea that 'speaking of the near they do not omit the distant.' The former view is correct.]

學者不泥文義者又全背卻逺去理防文義者又滯泥不通如子濯孺子為將之事孟子只取其不背師之意人須就上面理防事君之道如何也又如萬章問舜完廩浚井事孟子只答他大意人須要理防浚井如何出得來完廩又怎生下得來若此之學徒費心力

Cheng Yi said: "Among learners, those who do not cling to the literal meaning turn their backs on it entirely and walk far away; those who study the literal meaning cling to it and cannot get through. Take the matter of Zi Zhuoru as a general: Mencius took only the point that he did not betray his teacher, but people insist on going into how one should serve a ruler. Or take Wan Zhang's question about Shun repairing the granary and digging the well: Mencius answered only the general idea, but people want to work out how Shun got out of the well and how he came down from the granary. Learning like this only wastes mental effort."