夫拔本塞源之论不明于天下，则天下之学圣人者，将日繁日难，斯人沦于禽兽、夷狄，而犹自以为圣人之学。
吾之说虽或暂明于一时，终将冻解于西而冰坚于东，雾释于前而云滃于后，呶呶焉危困以死，而卒无救于天下之分毫也已。夫圣人之心，以天地万物为一体，其视天下之人，无外内远近，凡有血气，皆其昆弟赤子之亲，莫不欲安全而教养之，以遂其万物一体之念。
天下之人心，其始亦非有异于圣人也，特其间于有我之私，隔于物欲之蔽，大者以小，通者以塞，人各有心，至有视其父子兄弟如仇雠者。圣人有忧之，是以推其天地万物一体之仁以教天下，使之皆有以克其私、去其蔽，以复其心体之同然。其教之大端，则尧、舜、禹之相授受，所谓「道心惟微，惟精惟一，允执厥中」；而其节目，则舜之命契，所谓「父子有亲，君臣有义，夫妇有别，长幼有序，朋友有信」五者而已。唐、虞、三代之世，教者惟以此为教，而学者惟以此为学。当是之时，人无异见，家无异习，安此者谓之圣，勉此者谓之贤，而背此者虽其启明如朱[1]，亦谓之不肖；下至闾井、田野、农、工、商、贾之贱，莫不皆有是学，而惟以成其德行为务。何者？无有闻见之杂，记诵之烦，辞章之靡滥，功利之驰逐，而但使孝其亲，弟其长，信其朋友，以复其心体之同然。是盖性分之所固有，而非有假于外者，则人亦孰不能之乎？
学校之中，惟以成德为事，而才能之异，或有长于礼乐、长于政教、长于水土播植者，则就其成德，而因使益精其能于学校之中。迨夫举德而任，则使之终身居其职而不易。用之者惟知同心一德，以共安天下之民，视才之称否，而不以崇卑为轻重，劳逸为美恶；效用者亦惟知同心一德，以共安天下之民，苟当其能，则终身处于烦剧而不以为劳，安于卑琐而不以为贱。当是之时，天下之人熙熙皞皞，皆相视如一家之亲；其才质之下者，则安其农、工、商、贾之分，各勤其业，以相生相养，而无有乎希高慕外之心。
其才能之异，若皋、夔、稷、契者[2]，则出而各效其能。若一家之务，或营其衣食，或通其有无，或备其器用，集谋并力，以求遂其仰事俯育之愿，惟恐当其事者之或怠而重己之累也。故稷勤其稼，而不耻其不知教，视契之善教，即己之善教也；夔司其乐，而不耻于不明礼，视夷[3]之通礼，则己之通礼也。盖其心学纯明，而有以全其万物一体之仁，故其精神流贯，志气通达，而无有乎人己之分、物我之间。譬之一人之身，目视、耳听、手持、足行，以济一身之用。目不耻其无聪，而耳之所涉，目必营焉；足不耻其无执，而手之所探，足必前焉。盖其元气充周，血脉条畅，是以痒疴呼吸，感触神应，有不言而喻之妙。此圣人之学所以至易至简，易知易从，学易能而才易成者，正以大端惟在复心体之同然，而知识技能非所与论也。
拔本塞源之论若不明于天下，则天下学圣人的人，将日益繁杂、日益艰难，人们沦为禽兽夷狄，还自以为是在学圣人之学。
我的学说纵或一时暂明于世，终将像冰在西边消解而在东边又坚冻，雾在眼前散去而云又在后面涌起，我喋喋不休、危困至死，也终究无救于天下分毫。圣人之心，以天地万物为一体，他看天下之人，无论内外远近，凡有血气的，都是他的兄弟赤子之亲，无不想要安全而教养之，以实现其万物一体的念头。
天下的人心，起初也并非与圣人不同，只是中间被有我之私间隔、被物欲之蔽遮隔，大的变小了，通的堵塞了，人各怀私心，甚至有把父子兄弟看作仇敌的。圣人对此深感忧虑，所以推行其天地万物一体之仁来教化天下，使人都能克除私欲、去掉遮蔽，以恢复其心体的同一。其教化的大端，就是尧舜禹相传授的所谓「道心惟微，惟精惟一，允执厥中」；其具体节目，就是舜命契的所谓「父子有亲，君臣有义，夫妇有别，长幼有序，朋友有信」五者而已。唐虞三代之世，教的人只以此为教，学的人只以此为学。在那时，人无异见，家无异习，安于此的称为圣，勉力于此的称为贤，而违背此的即使像朱那样开通明智，也叫作不肖；下至闾井田野的农工商贾之贱，无不都有此学，而只以成就其德行为务。为什么呢？因为没有闻见的杂乱、记诵的烦扰、辞章的靡滥、功利的驰逐，只是使人孝其亲、悌其长、信其朋友，以恢复其心体的同然。这本是人性分中固有的，而非有借于外的，那么人谁不能做到呢？
学校之中，只以成就德行为事。而才能的差异，有的长于礼乐、有的长于政教、有的长于水土播植，就在其成德的基础上，让他在学校中进一步精研其才能。等到举德任用，就让他终身居于其职而不变。任用人的人只知同心一德以共安天下之民，看才干是否相称，而不以职位高低分轻重、以劳逸定美恶；效力的人也只知同心一德以共安天下之民，只要适合自己的才能，就终身处在烦剧之中而不以为劳，安于卑琐而不以为贱。在那时，天下之人熙熙皞皞，都相视如一家之亲；才质低下的人，则安于农工商贾的本分，各勤其业，相生相养，而没有希高慕外之心。
至于才能的差异，如皋陶、夔、稷、契那样的人，就出来各自贡献其才能。就像一家的家务，或经营衣食，或流通有无，或置备器用，集谋并力，以求实现上事父母、下育妻儿的愿望，唯恐担当其事的人懈怠而加重自己的拖累。所以稷勤于稼穑，而不耻于不知教育，看到契善于教育，就如同自己善于教育；夔主管音乐，而不耻于不明礼，看到伯夷通晓礼，就如同自己通礼。因为他们的心学纯明，而能够保全其万物一体之仁，所以精神流贯、志气通达，而没有人己之分、物我之隔。譬如一个人的身体，眼睛看、耳朵听、手拿、脚走，以供一身的用处。眼睛不耻于没有听觉，而耳朵所涉及的，眼睛必关注；脚不耻于不能拿东西，而手所探取的，脚必向前。因为元气充周、血脉条畅，所以痒痛呼吸、感触神应，有不言而喻的妙处。圣人之学之所以至易至简、易知易从、学易能而才易成，正因为其大端只在恢复心体之同然，而知识技能不是所讨论的。
If the discourse of pulling up the root and stopping the source is not made clear to the world, then those under heaven who study the sage will find it daily more tangled and hard; men will sink to beasts and barbarians while flattering themselves students of the sage.
My doctrine, though lit for a moment, would thaw in the west while freezing hard in the east, the mist lift before while clouds boil up behind; I should clamor myself into peril and death with never a hair's help to the world. The sage's heart takes heaven, earth and the ten thousand things as one body: all under heaven, inner or outer, near or far, whatever has blood and breath are his brothers and infant children; there is none he does not wish to keep safe and to teach and nourish, fulfilling the thought of all-things-as-one-body.
The hearts of men under heaven were at first no different from the sage's; only the private self came between, the screen of thing-desire closed over, the great grew small, the open was dammed; each heart its own, till fathers and sons, brothers, face each other as foes. The sage grieved at this, and so spread abroad the humaneness of heaven-earth-things-as-one to teach the world, that all might master their selfishness, strip their veils, and recover the sameness of the mind's substance. The great heads of that teaching are what Yao, Shun and Yu handed one another — the mind of the Way is subtle; refinement and unity alone; hold fast the Mean. Its working items are Shun's charge to Xie: between father and son affection, ruler and minister duty, husband and wife distinction, old and young order, friends good faith — five, no more. Through Tang, Yu and the three dynasties, teachers taught only this, learners learned only this. Then no man held a different view, no house a different practice: at home in this was called sage, striving toward it worthy; turning from it, though open-browed and bright like Zhu, was called unworthy; down to the lanes and fields, farmer, artisan, trader — all had this learning, single-minded on perfecting their virtue. Why? No medley of hearsay, no drudgery of recital, no flood of fine writing, no chase of profit — only being filial to parents, respectful to elders, faithful to friends, recovering the sameness of the mind's substance. This is native to one's nature and borrowed from nothing outside — who then could not do it?
In the schools only the perfecting of virtue was the business. Differences of talent — one strong in rites and music, one in governance and teaching, one in water, soil and sowing — were, upon that virtue, honed finer within the schools. When virtue raised a man to office, he held that office for life, unchanged. Those who employed knew only single heart and shared virtue to give the people peace together, weighing fitness of talent, not ranking by loftiness of post, calling ease fair and toil foul. Those who served knew only single heart and shared virtue; if it fit their powers, they dwelt all their lives in burdensome office and read it not as toil, in humble detail and read it not as mean. Then the people under heaven, easy and open, looked upon one another as one family's kin. Those of lesser endowment kept contentedly to the farmer's, artisan's, trader's lot, each diligent at his trade, birthing and nourishing one another, with no hankering after heights beyond.
The differences of talent — such as Gao Yao, Kui, Ji, Xie — came forth each to yield his powers. As in one household's affairs: some see to food and clothes, some trade surplus and want, some furnish the tools, planning together, pulling together, to fulfill the hopes of serving those above and rearing those below, each fearing lest the one in charge slacken and double his own burden. So Ji toiled at the grain and was not ashamed not to know teaching: Xie's skill in teaching was his own; Kui kept the music and was not ashamed not to master ritual: Yi's mastery of ritual was his own. Their learning of the heart was pure and bright, whole in the humaneness of all-things-as-one-body; spirit streamed through, will and breath ran free, with no division of self and other, no wall between thing and me. As in one body: the eye sees, the ear hears, the hand grasps, the foot walks, each serving the body's use. The eye is not ashamed to lack hearing — what the ear engages, the eye attends; the foot is not ashamed to grasp nothing — where the hand reaches, the foot steps first. The primal breath fills and circles, the blood-channels run clean, so itch and pain, breath and touch answer as if by spirit — a fitness past telling. Hence the sages' learning is utterly easy, utterly simple, easy to know and follow, easy to learn and to grow able in: its one great head is recovering the sameness of the mind's substance — knowledge and skill are no part of the question.
- 朱：丹朱，尧之子。
- 四人皆舜臣，皋陶为掌刑法之官，夔为典乐之官，稷为掌农事之官，契为教育之官，事见《尚书·舜典》。
- 夷：伯夷，舜臣，掌礼之官。