来书云：「尝试于心，喜、怒、忧、惧之感发也，虽动气之极，而吾心良知一觉，即罔然消阻，或遏于初，或制于中，或悔于后。然则良知常若居优闲无事之地而为之主，于喜、怒、忧、惧若不与焉者，何欤？」
知此，则知未发之中、寂然不动之体，而有发而中节之和、感而遂通之妙矣。然谓「良知常若居于优闲无事之地」，语尚有病。盖良知虽不滞于喜、怒、忧、惧，而喜、怒、忧、惧亦不外于良知也。
来信说：「我曾试着在心上体察：喜、怒、忧、惧的感发，即使动气到极点，而我心良知一觉，便茫然消阻，或在初起时遏止，或在中间制服，或在事后悔悟。那么良知常像处在悠闲无事之地作主宰，对喜、怒、忧、惧似乎不参与，这是为什么呢？」
知道这个，就知道未发之中、寂然不动的本体，而有发而中节之和、感而遂通之妙了。但说「良知常像居于悠闲无事之地」，这话还有毛病。良知虽不滞于喜、怒、忧、惧，而喜、怒、忧、惧也不外于良知。
Your letter says: 'Testing on my mind: joy, anger, worry, fear may flare to the utmost, yet one awakening of innate knowledge and they melt away — checked at the first, mastered midway, repented after. So innate knowledge seems to preside from some place of idle leisure, uninvolved in joy, anger, worry and fear. Why is that?'
Know this, and you know the equilibrium before arousal, the still unmoving substance, with the harmony of due-measure and the marvel of stirred-and-penetrating. But to say innate knowledge dwells apart in leisure is still faulty language. Though innate knowledge is not lodged in joy, anger, worry and fear, joy, anger, worry and fear are not outside innate knowledge.