问：「伊川谓『不当于喜怒哀乐未发之前求中』，延平却教学者『看未发之前气象』，何如？」
先生曰：「皆是也。伊川恐人于未发前讨个中，把中做一物看，如吾向所谓认气定时做中，故令只于涵养省察上用功。延平恐人未便有下手处，故令人时时刻刻求未发前气象，使人正目而视惟此，倾耳而听惟此，即是『戒慎不睹，恐惧不闻』的工夫。皆古人不得已诱人之言也。」
有人问：「程颐说『不应当在喜怒哀乐未发之前求中』，李延平却教学生『观察未发之前的气象』，怎么样？」
先生说：「都对。程颐是怕人在未发之前讨一个『中』，把中当作一件东西看，如同我从前所说把气定认作中，所以让人只在涵养省察上用功。延平是怕人没有下手处，所以让人时时刻刻体察未发前的气象，使人睁眼看的只是这个，侧耳听的只是这个，这就是『戒慎不睹、恐惧不闻』的功夫。都是古人不得已引导人的话。」
Someone asked: 'Cheng Yi said one must not seek equilibrium before the feelings are aroused; yet Yanping taught students to observe the weather of the mind before arousal. How so?'
The Master said: 'Both are right. Cheng Yi feared people would hunt for a 'mean' before arousal, treating it as a thing — like my earlier point about mistaking settled breath for equilibrium — so he directed work to nourishing and examining. Yanping feared people would have nowhere to begin, so he had them attend every moment to that pre-arousal weather, eye and ear given to this alone — which is just the work of vigilance over the unseen and unheard. Both were words the ancients used of necessity to guide people.'