三代之衰，王道熄而霸术焻；孔、孟既没，圣学晦而邪说横。教者不复以此为教，而学者不复以此为学。霸者之徒，窃取先王之近似者，假之于外以内济其私己之欲，天下靡然而[1]宗之，圣人之道遂以芜塞。相仿相效，日求所以富强之说、倾诈之谋、攻伐之计，一切欺天罔人，苟一时之得，以猎取声利之术，若管、商、苏、张[2]之属者，至不可名数。
既其久也，鬬争劫夺，不胜其祸，斯人沦于禽兽、夷狄，而霸术亦有所不能行矣。世之儒者慨然悲伤，搜腊先圣王之典草法制，而掇拾修补于煨烬之余，盖其为心，良亦欲以挽回先王之道。圣学既远，霸术之传，积渍已深，虽在贤知，皆不免于习染，其所以讲明修饰，以求宣畅光复于世者，仅足以增霸者之藩篱，而圣学之门墙，遂不复可睹。于是乎有训诂之学，而传之以为名；有记诵之学，而言之以为博；有词章之学，而侈之以为丽。若是者，纷纷籍籍，群起角立于天下，又不知其几家，万径千蹊，莫知所适。
世之学者如人百戏之场，讙谑跳踉，骋奇鬬巧，献笑争妍者，四面而竞出，前瞻后盼，应接不遑，而耳目眩瞀，精神恍惑，日夜遨游淹息其间，如病狂丧心之人，莫自知其家业之所归。时君世主亦皆昏迷颠倒于其说，而终身从事于无用之虚文，莫自知其所谓。间有觉其空疏谬妄、支离牵滞，而卓然自奋，欲以见诸行事之实者，极其所抵，亦不过为富强功利、五霸之事业而止。圣人之学日远日晦，而功利之习愈趋愈下。其间虽尝瞽惑于佛、老，而佛、老之说卒亦未能有以胜其功利之心；虽又尝折衷于群儒，而群儒之论终亦未能有以破其功利之见。
盖至于今，功利之毒沦浃于人之心髓，而习以成性也几千年矣。相矜以知，相轧以势，相争以利，相高以技能，相取以声誉。其出而仕也，理钱榖者则欲兼夫兵刑，典礼乐者又欲与于铨轴，处郡县则思藩臬之高，居台谏则望宰执之要[3]。故不能其事，则不得以兼其官；不通其说，则不可以要其誉；记诵之广，适以长其敖也；知识之多，适以行其恶也；闻见之博，适以肆其辨也；辞章之富，适以饰其伪也。是以皋、夔、稷、契所不能兼之事，而今之初学小生皆欲通其说，究其术。其称名僭号，未尝不曰「吾欲以共成天下之务」，而其诚心实意之所在，以为不如是则无以济其私而满其欲也。
呜呼！以若是之积染，以若是之心志，而又讲之以若是之学术，宜其闻吾圣人之教，而视之以为赘疣枘凿，则其以良知为未足，而谓圣人之学为无所用，亦其势有所必至矣！呜呼！士生斯世，而尚何以求圣人之学乎？尚何以论圣人之学乎？士生斯世，而欲以为学者，不亦劳苦而繁难乎？不亦拘滞而险艰乎！呜呼，可悲也已！
所幸天理之在人心，终有所不可泯，而良知之明，万古一日，则其闻吾拔本塞源之论，必有恻然而悲，戚然而痛，愤然而起，沛然若决江河，而有所不可御者矣。非夫豪杰之士，无所待而兴起者，吾谁与望乎？
（此条自第八段「夫拔本塞源之论不明于天下」起，陈龙正曾单独选出刻行，标明为「拔本塞源论」，系王守仁之最著名之论著之一，代表他之伦理思想。）
三代衰落，王道熄灭而霸术昌盛。孔孟死后，圣学晦暗而邪说横行。教的人不再以此为教，学的人不再以此为学。霸者之徒，窃取先王之术中表面相似的东西，假借于外以谋济其私欲，天下风靡而追随，圣人之道于是荒芜阻塞。人们互相仿效，天天追求富强之说、倾诈之谋、攻伐之计，一切欺天罔人、苟得一时的手段，以猎取声名利禄的权术，像管仲、商鞅、苏秦、张仪之流，多到数不清。
久而久之，斗争劫夺，祸乱无穷，人们沦为禽兽夷狄，而霸术也行不下去了。世上的儒者慨然悲伤，搜猎先圣王的典章法制，在焚毁的余烬中掇拾修补。他们的用心，也确实是想挽回先王之道。但圣学久远，霸术之传浸渍已深，即使是贤智之人，也难免习染。他们讲求修饰以求宣扬光复于世的，恰恰只足以给霸者增加藩篱，而圣学的门墙，就再也看不见了。于是有训诂之学，借以显名；有记诵之学，借以夸博；有词章之学，借以炫丽。诸如此类，纷纷籍籍，群起并立于天下，又不知有几家；万径千蹊，使人不知所从。
世上的学者如同置身百戏之场，欢谑跳踉、骋奇斗巧、献笑争妍的，从四面竞相涌出；前瞻后盼，应接不暇，耳目眩晕，精神恍惚，日夜遨游息歇于其间，如同病狂丧心之人，不知道自己家的产业在哪里。当时的君主世主也都昏迷颠倒于这些学说之中，终身从事于无用的虚文，自己也不知道所谓何来。其间偶有觉察其空疏谬妄、支离牵滞，而卓然奋发、想见诸行事之实的人，达到顶点，也不过做出富强功利、五霸的事业为止。圣人之学日远日晦，而功利之习愈趋愈下。其间虽曾迷惑于佛老，但佛老之说终究也未能胜过其功利之心；虽又曾折衷于诸儒，但诸儒之论终究也未能破其功利之见。
直到今天，功利之毒已浸透人心髓，习以成性几乎千年了。人们以知互相夸耀，以势互相倾轧，以利互相争夺，以技能互相标榜，以声誉互相摄取。出仕为官的，管钱谷的想兼管兵刑，典礼乐的又想插手铨选；做郡县官的想着藩臬的高位，居台谏的望着宰执的要职。所以不能其事，就不能兼其官；不通其说，就不能邀其誉；记诵之广，恰足以长其傲慢；知识之多，恰足以行其恶；闻见之博，恰足以肆其诡辩；辞章之富，恰足以饰其虚伪。所以皋、夔、稷、契所不能兼的事，而如今后学小生都想通其说、究其术。他们称名借号，未尝不说「我要共成天下之务」，而其诚心实意所在，是认为不这样就无以济其私而满其欲。
唉！以这样的积染，这样的心志，又讲之以这样的学术，难怪他们听到我圣人之教，就看作赘疣凿枘；那么他们以为良知不足恃、说圣人之学无所可用，也是势必至此的了！唉！士人生在这样的时代，还能怎样求圣人之学呢？还能怎样论圣人之学呢？士人生在这样的时代而想为学，不也太劳苦繁难了吗？不也太拘滞险艰了吗！唉，可悲啊！
所幸天理之在人心，终究有不可泯灭之处，而良知之明，万古如一日。那么他们听到我这拔本塞源之论，必有恻然而悲、戚然而痛、奋然而起，其势沛然如同江河决堤而不可阻挡的了。不是那种无所等待而奋起的豪杰之士，我又能指望谁呢？
（此条后半「夫拔本塞源之论不明于天下」起，陈龙正曾单独选出刻行，题为「拔本塞源论」，是王守仁最著名的论著之一，代表其伦理思想。）
With the three dynasties' decline, the royal Way guttered and the arts of hegemony blazed; after Confucius and Mencius, the sagely learning darkened and strange doctrines ran wild. Teachers no longer taught it, learners no longer learned it. The hegemons' followers stole the outward likeness of the former kings, borrowed it from without to serve their private lusts within; the world swept after them, and the sages' Way grew waste and blocked. Imitation bred imitation; day upon day men sought the schemes of wealth and power, the plots of deceit, the plans of conquest — everything that cheats heaven and beguiles men for an hour's gain, the arts of hunting fame and profit — Guan Zhong, Shang Yang, Su Qin, Zhang Yi and their kind past counting.
Long years of it: strife and plunder, calamity past enduring; men sank to beasts and barbarians, and even hegemony could no longer run. The world's scholars, grieving, hunted the old sage-kings' statutes and gleaned and patched among the embers. Their hearts truly meant to win back the former kings' Way. But the sagely learning was far away, the hegemonic tradition soaked deep; even the worthy and wise could not escape the dye. What they polished and set forth to brighten and restore served only to raise the hegemon's fences higher, till the very gate and wall of the sagely learning could no longer be seen. Then arose the learning of glosses, to make a name; the learning of recital, to pass for breadth; the learning of fine writing, to shine. Such schools, thick as driftwood, stood contending across the world past counting; ten thousand paths, a thousand byways, none knowing which to walk.
The world's learners were like crowds in a circus of a hundred feats: jesters leaping, wonders vying, smiles and graces offered on every side; looking before and behind, no time to answer, eyes dazzled, wits lost, wandering day and night in the din like men mad and heart-struck, unknowing where their own household's estate has gone. The rulers of the age too lay bemused and topsy-turvy in these doctrines, lifelong at useless paper-work, unknowing what for. Here and there one saw the emptiness, the wild error, the fragment and tangle, and rose towering to put it into solid deed — yet at the summit attained nothing beyond the wealth-and-power, five-hegemons enterprise. The sages' learning receded daily darker, the habit of profit sank daily lower. Men dabbled in Buddha and Laozi, yet those teachings never beat their profit-loving hearts; they sought a mean among the scholars, yet the scholars' arguments never broke their profit-loving views.
To this day the poison of profit has soaked to the marrow of men's hearts, habit become second nature these thousand years: boasting knowledge against each other, crushing with power, scrambling for gain, vying in skill, fishing for repute. In office, the granary hand covets arms and justice too, the rites-and-music man fingers the appointments; a county magistrate dreams the provincial heights, the censorate eyes the chancellor's keys. Unable at the task, yet not foregoing the title; unversed in the doctrine, yet not forgoing the praise. Breadth of recital but feeds arrogance; plenty of knowledge but serves the doing of ill; width of hearsay but looses the tongue; richness of phrase but gilds the lie. What Gao, Kui, Ji and Xie could not combine, today's callow students all mean to master and expound. Their styling and slogans never fail to say: to share in completing the world's work — while the true bent of their hearts holds that without this they cannot slake their private thirst.
Alas! With such accretions, such hearts, taught by such learning — small wonder they hear a sage's teaching and see wens and buckled tenons; that they deem innate knowledge insufficient and the sages' learning useless — the momentum could lead nowhere else! Alas! A scholar born into such an age — how shall he seek the sages' learning? How speak of it? A scholar born into such an age who yet would learn: is it not toil and tangle? Is it not straitness and peril! Alas, sorrow indeed!
Yet heaven's principle in the human heart can never be wholly drowned; the light of innate knowledge is one through ten thousand ages. Let men but hear this discourse of pulling up the root and stopping the source: there will be those who ache and grieve, wound and pain, rise up in wrath, flood forth like rivers burst from their banks, past all damming. If not the heroic, who rise awaiting nothing — whom else could I look to?
(The latter half of this entry, from 'if the discourse of pulling up the root and stopping the source is not made clear,' was separately printed by Chen Longzheng under the title 'Discourse on Pulling Up the Root' — one of Wang Yangming's most famous writings, embodying his ethical thought.)
- 施本、俞本，无「而」字。
- 管：管仲，春秋时齐国宰相，法家。商：商鞅，战国时秦国宰相，法家。苏：苏秦，战国时纵横家。张：张仪，战国时纵横家。
- 理钱谷，指户部的财政工作。典礼乐，指礼部及太常卿的礼仪工作。铨轴，指吏部的铨敍工作。藩臬，藩指一省最高负责官吏的藩司，臬指巡视各省的臬使。台谏，御史台与谏议。宰执，宰相执政。