爱问：「昨闻先生『止至善』之教，已觉功夫有用力处。但与朱子『格物』之训，思之终不能合。」
先生曰：「『格物』是『止至善』之功，既知『至善』，即知『格物』矣。」
爱曰：「昨以先生之教推之『格物』之说，似亦见得大略。但朱子之训，其于《书》之『精一』，《论语》之『博约』，《孟子》之『尽心知性』，皆有所证据，以是未能释然。」
先生曰：「子夏笃信圣人，曾子反求诸己。笃信固亦是，然不如反求之切。今既不得于心，安可狃于旧闻，不求是当？就如朱子亦尊信程子，至其不得于心处，亦何尝茍从？『精一』、『博约』、『尽心』本自与吾说吻合，但未之思耳。朱子『格物』之训，未免牵合附会，非其本旨。精是一之功，博是约之功，曰仁既明知行合一之说，此可一言而喻。『尽心、知性、知天』是『生知安行』事，『存心、养性、事天』是『学知利行』事，『夭寿不贰，修身以俟』是『困知勉行』事。朱子错训『格物』，只为倒看了此意，以『尽心知性』为『物格知至』，要初学便去做『生知安行』事，如何做得？」
爱问：「『尽心知性』何以为『生知安行』？」
先生曰：「性是心之体，天是性之原，尽心即是尽性。惟天下至诚，为能尽其性，知天地之化育。『存心』者，心有未尽也。『知天』，如『知州』、『知县』之『知』，是自己分上事，己与天为一。『事天』如子之事父，臣之事君，须是恭敬奉承，然后能无失，尚与天为二，此便是圣贀之别。至于夭寿不贰其心，乃是教学者一心为善，不可以穷通夭寿之故，便把为善的心变动了，只去修身以俟命，见得穷通寿夭有个命在，我亦不必以此动心。『事天』虽与天为二，已自见得个天在面前；『俟命』便是未曾见面，在此等候相似，此便是初学立心之始，有个困勉的意在。今却倒做了，所以使学者无下手处。」
爱曰：「昨闻先生之教，亦影影见得功夫须是如此，今闻此说，益无可疑。爱昨晓思『格物』的『物』字，即是『事』字，皆从心上说。」
先生曰：「然。身之主宰便是心，心之所发便是意，意之本体便是知，意之所在便是物。如意在于事亲，即事亲便是一物，意在于事君，即事君便是一物，意在于仁民、爱物，即仁民、爱物便是一物，意在于视、听、言、动，即视、听、言、动便是一物。所以某说无心外之理，无心外之物。《中庸》言『不诚无物』，《大学》『明明德』之功，只是个『诚意』。『诚意』之功，只是个『格物』。」
徐爱问：「昨天听先生『止至善』的教诲，已觉得功夫有了用力处。但与朱子『格物』的训释，想来想去不能吻合。」
先生说：「『格物』是『止至善』的功夫，既然懂得『至善』，就懂得『格物』了。」
徐爱说：「昨天用先生的教诲推究『格物』之说，似乎也见得大略。但朱子的训释，在《尚书》有『精一』、《论语》有『博约』、《孟子》有『尽心知性』作依据，因此不能释然。」
先生说：「子夏笃信圣人，曾子反过来求诸自己。笃信固然也不错，但不如反求之切身。如今既然心中不通，怎能拘泥于旧闻，不求个妥当？就像朱子也尊信程子，到他心里不通之处，又何尝苟且依从？『精一』『博约』『尽心』本来自与我的学说吻合，只是你没有想通罢了。朱子『格物』的训释，未免牵强附会，不是它的本旨。精是一的功夫，博是约的功夫，曰仁你既已明白知行合一之说，这一点即可一言而喻。『尽心、知性、知天』是『生知安行』者的事，『存心、养性、事天』是『学知利行』者的事，『夭寿不贰，修身以俟』是『困知勉行』者的事。朱子错解『格物』，只因把这个意思看颠倒了，把『尽心知性』当作『物格知至』，要初学的人便去做『生知安行』的事，怎么做得？」
徐爱问：「『尽心知性』为什么是『生知安行』的事？」
先生说：「性是心的本体，天是性的本原，尽心就是尽性。只有天下至诚的人，才能充分发挥他的本性，知晓天地的化育。『存心』，是因为心有所未尽。『知天』的知，如同『知州』『知县』的知，是自己分内的事，自己与天合为一体。『事天』如同儿子侍奉父亲、臣子侍奉君主，必须恭敬奉承，然后才能无过失，但还与天为二，这便是圣与贤的区别。至于夭寿不贰其心，是教学习者一心为善，不能因为穷困通达、长寿短命的缘故，便把为善的心改变了，只管修身以等待命运，明白穷通寿夭自有个命在，我也不必因此动心。『事天』虽然与天为二，已经亲自见得个天在面前；『俟命』便是还不曾见面，在这里等候相似，这便是初学者立心的开始，有个困知勉行的意思在。如今却颠倒着做了，所以使学习者没有下手处。」
徐爱说：「昨天听先生的教诲，也影影绰绰觉得功夫应该如此，今天听这番话，更无可疑了。我昨天早上想，『格物』的『物』字，就是『事』字，都是从心上说的。」
先生说：「对。身的主宰便是心，心的发出便是意，意的本体便是知，意之所在便是物。如意在于侍奉双亲，侍奉双亲便是一物；意在于侍奉君主，侍奉君主便是一物；意在于仁民爱物，仁民爱物便是一物；意在于视、听、言、动，视听言动便是一物。所以我说没有心外之理，没有心外之物。《中庸》说『不诚无物』，《大学》『明明德』的功夫，只是一个『诚意』；『诚意』的功夫，只是一个『格物』。」
Xu Ai asked: "Yesterday, hearing your teaching on 'resting in the highest good', I felt my effort had somewhere to apply itself. But thinking it over, it will not square with Zhu Xi's interpretation of 'investigating things'."
The Master said: "'Investigating things' is the work of 'resting in the highest good'; understand the highest good and you understand the investigation of things."
Xu Ai said: "Applying your teaching yesterday, I saw the general outline. But Zhu Xi's reading has its warrant in the 'refinement and unity' of the Book of Documents, the 'breadth and restraint' of the Analects, and Mencius on 'fully realizing the mind and knowing nature', so I cannot rest easy."
The Master said: "Zixia trusted the sage; Zengzi sought within himself. Trust is fine, but seeking within is more to the point. Since it does not settle in your mind, why cling to received opinion instead of seeking what is right? Even Zhu Xi, for all his reverence for the Chengs, never blindly followed where his mind was not satisfied. 'Refinement and unity', 'breadth and restraint', 'realizing the mind' — these from the first accord with my teaching; you have simply not thought it through. Zhu Xi's reading of 'investigating things' forces connections and misses the original intent. Refinement is the work of unity; breadth is the work of restraint — since you already understand the unity of knowledge and action, this can be said in one word. 'Realizing the mind, knowing nature, knowing Heaven' belongs to those born knowing who act with ease; 'preserving the mind, nourishing nature, serving Heaven' to those who learn and act with effort's advantage; 'neither despairing in early death nor presuming on long life, cultivating oneself and awaiting one's lot' to those who know through hardship and act through striving. Zhu Xi mistook 'investigating things' only because he inverted this order, taking 'realizing the mind and knowing nature' for 'things investigated and knowledge complete', and setting beginners to the task of those born knowing — how could they manage it?"
Xu Ai asked: "Why is 'realizing the mind and knowing nature' the affair of those born knowing?"
The Master said: "Nature is the substance of the mind; Heaven is the source of nature; to fully realize the mind is to fully realize nature. Only the utterly sincere under Heaven can exhaust their nature and know the transforming and nourishing work of Heaven and Earth. 'Preserving the mind' implies the mind is not yet exhausted. The 'knowing' of 'knowing Heaven' is like the 'knowing' of a prefect or magistrate knowing his jurisdiction — one's own charge, oneself at one with Heaven. 'Serving Heaven' is like a son serving a father or a minister serving a ruler: only with reverent care can one be without fault, yet one is still two with Heaven — this marks sage from worthy. As for the mind unshaken by early death or long life, this teaches learners to be single-mindedly good, not letting fortune or lifespan alter the will to goodness, but cultivating oneself and awaiting one's destiny, seeing that fortune and lifespan lie with fate, so I need not be moved. 'Serving Heaven', though still two with Heaven, already has Heaven before one's eyes; 'awaiting destiny' is like not yet having met, waiting at the door — this is where the beginner's resolve begins, with the sense of striving through hardship. Today it is done upside down, leaving learners nowhere to begin."
Xu Ai said: "Yesterday's teaching gave me a glimpse; today all doubt is gone. This morning I realized that the 'thing' of 'investigating things' means 'affair', and all is spoken of from the mind."
The Master said: "Precisely. The master of the body is the mind; what the mind issues is intention; the original substance of intention is knowledge; where intention lies is the thing. If intention rests on serving parents, serving parents is a thing; on serving a ruler, that is a thing; on loving the people and cherishing creatures, that is a thing; on seeing, hearing, speaking, moving, each is a thing. Hence I say there is no principle outside the mind, no thing outside the mind. The Doctrine of the Mean says 'without sincerity there is no thing'. The work of 'brightening bright virtue' in the Great Learning is only 'making the intention sincere', and the work of making the intention sincere is only 'investigating things'."