學為聖賢到聖賢氣象：程朱理學"聖賢氣象"的義理建構與《大學》八條目修養路徑
"聖賢氣象"是宋明理學（Song-Ming Lixue, 宋明理學，宋明時期以"理"為核心的儒家哲學流派）中一個極具特色的道德修養命題。二程（Ercheng, 二程，程顥與程頤兄弟）首倡"觀聖賢氣象"（guan shengxian qixiang, 觀聖賢氣象，觀照與體悟聖賢的道德人格風貌），朱熹（Zhu Xi, 朱熹，南宋理學集大成者）承其緒而拓展之，將"聖賢氣象"（shengxian qixiang, 聖賢氣象，聖賢所呈現的道德氣度與精神風貌）與《大學》（Daxue, 大學，儒家"四書"之一，闡發"三綱領八條目"的修養經典）八條目（ba tiaomu, 八條目，格物、致知、誠意、正心、修身、齊家、治國、平天下的修養次第）的踐履次第相貫通，構建了一套從"學為聖賢"（xue wei shengxian, 學為聖賢，以聖賢為目標的道德學習與修養）到"成就聖賢氣象"的完整修養體系。錢穆（Qian Mu, 錢穆，二十世紀中國思想史家）在《朱子新學案》（Zhuzi Xinxue'an, 朱子新學案，錢穆研究朱熹學術思想的專著）中以"實學"（shixue, 實學，注重切實踐履的學術精神）精神重構朱子學，指出"聖賢氣象"絕非懸空想象的審美境界，而是必須通過切實工夫（gongfu, 工夫，道德修養的實踐努力）、步步踐履方能達至的人格成就。本文以"學為聖賢"為錨點，以達至聖賢道德修養境域為目標，沿《大學》八條目次第展開，深度解析"聖賢氣象"的義理內涵、修養路徑與當代價值，回答"何以是聖賢氣象"與"如何成就聖賢氣象"兩個根本問題。
The "Sage-Like Persona" (shengxian qixiang, 聖賢氣象, the moral bearing and spiritual aura manifested by sages and worthies) is a distinctive proposition of moral cultivation in Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism (Song-Ming Lixue, 宋明理學, the Confucian philosophical tradition centered on "Principle" that flourished from the Song through the Ming dynasty). The Cheng brothers (Ercheng, 二程, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi) first advocated "observing the Sage-Like Persona" (guan shengxian qixiang, 觀聖賢氣象, contemplating and internalizing the moral demeanor of sages), and Zhu Xi (朱熹, the great Southern Song synthesizer of Neo-Confucianism) inherited and expanded their teaching, integrating it with the practical sequence of the Eight Steps (ba tiaomu, 八條目) in The Great Learning (Daxue, 大學, one of the Confucian Four Books that articulates the "Three Cardinal Guidelines and Eight Steps" of cultivation)—investigating things, extending knowledge, making intentions sincere, rectifying the mind, cultivating the person, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—thereby constructing a complete system of cultivation from "learning to be a sage" (xue wei shengxian, 學為聖賢) to "attaining the Sage-Like Persona." In New Studies on Zhu Xi (Zhuzi Xinxue'an, 朱子新學案), Qian Mu (錢穆, the eminent twentieth-century historian of Chinese thought) reconstructed Zhu Xi's learning through the spirit of "practical learning" (shixue, 實學), arguing that the Sage-Like Persona is by no means an abstract aesthetic realm of imagination, but a moral achievement that can only be reached through concrete cultivation effort (gongfu, 工夫) and step-by-step practice. Taking "learning to be a sage" as its anchor and the moral realm of the sages as its goal, this paper unfolds along the sequence of the Eight Steps, deeply analyzing the conceptual meaning, cultivation path, and contemporary value of the Sage-Like Persona, and answering two fundamental questions: "What does it mean to speak of the Sage-Like Persona?" and "How does one attain the Sage-Like Persona?"
學為聖賢到聖賢氣象：
程朱理學"聖賢氣象"的義理建構
與《大學》八條目修養路徑
From Learning to Be a Sage to the Sage-Like Persona: The Philosophical Construction of the “Sage-Like Persona” in Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and the Cultivation Path of the Eight Steps in The Great Learning
"聖賢氣象"是宋明理學（Song-Ming Lixue, 宋明理學，宋明時期以"理"為核心的儒家哲學流派）中一個極具特色的道德修養命題。二程（Ercheng, 二程，程顥與程頤兄弟）首倡"觀聖賢氣象"（guan shengxian qixiang, 觀聖賢氣象，觀照與體悟聖賢的道德人格風貌），朱熹（Zhu Xi, 朱熹，南宋理學集大成者）承其緒而拓展之，將"聖賢氣象"（shengxian qixiang, 聖賢氣象，聖賢所呈現的道德氣度與精神風貌）與《大學》（Daxue, 大學，儒家"四書"之一，闡發"三綱領八條目"的修養經典）八條目（ba tiaomu, 八條目，格物、致知、誠意、正心、修身、齊家、治國、平天下的修養次第）的踐履次第相貫通，構建了一套從"學為聖賢"（xue wei shengxian, 學為聖賢，以聖賢為目標的道德學習與修養）到"成就聖賢氣象"的完整修養體系。錢穆（Qian Mu, 錢穆，二十世紀中國思想史家）在《朱子新學案》（Zhuzi Xinxue'an, 朱子新學案，錢穆研究朱熹學術思想的專著）中以"實學"（shixue, 實學，注重切實踐履的學術精神）精神重構朱子學，指出"聖賢氣象"絕非懸空想象的審美境界，而是必須通過切實工夫（gongfu, 工夫，道德修養的實踐努力）、步步踐履方能達至的人格成就。本文以"學為聖賢"為錨點，以達至聖賢道德修養境域為目標，沿《大學》八條目次第展開，深度解析"聖賢氣象"的義理內涵、修養路徑與當代價值，回答"何以是聖賢氣象"與"如何成就聖賢氣象"兩個根本問題。
The "Sage-Like Persona" (shengxian qixiang, 聖賢氣象, the moral bearing and spiritual aura manifested by sages and worthies) is a distinctive proposition of moral cultivation in Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism (Song-Ming Lixue, 宋明理學, the Confucian philosophical tradition centered on "Principle" that flourished from the Song through the Ming dynasty). The Cheng brothers (Ercheng, 二程, Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi) first advocated "observing the Sage-Like Persona" (guan shengxian qixiang, 觀聖賢氣象, contemplating and internalizing the moral demeanor of sages), and Zhu Xi (朱熹, the great Southern Song synthesizer of Neo-Confucianism) inherited and expanded their teaching, integrating it with the practical sequence of the Eight Steps (ba tiaomu, 八條目) in The Great Learning (Daxue, 大學, one of the Confucian Four Books that articulates the "Three Cardinal Guidelines and Eight Steps" of cultivation)—investigating things, extending knowledge, making intentions sincere, rectifying the mind, cultivating the person, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—thereby constructing a complete system of cultivation from "learning to be a sage" (xue wei shengxian, 學為聖賢) to "attaining the Sage-Like Persona." In New Studies on Zhu Xi (Zhuzi Xinxue'an, 朱子新學案), Qian Mu (錢穆, the eminent twentieth-century historian of Chinese thought) reconstructed Zhu Xi's learning through the spirit of "practical learning" (shixue, 實學), arguing that the Sage-Like Persona is by no means an abstract aesthetic realm of imagination, but a moral achievement that can only be reached through concrete cultivation effort (gongfu, 工夫) and step-by-step practice. Taking "learning to be a sage" as its anchor and the moral realm of the sages as its goal, this paper unfolds along the sequence of the Eight Steps, deeply analyzing the conceptual meaning, cultivation path, and contemporary value of the Sage-Like Persona, and answering two fundamental questions: "What does it mean to speak of the Sage-Like Persona?" and "How does one attain the Sage-Like Persona?"
一、引言 / Introduction
"聖賢氣象"作為宋明理學中一個深具原創性的道德修養命題，所關涉的並非抽象的概念推演，而是儒家"學為聖賢"這一根本宗旨在人格實踐層面的具體落實。在儒家傳統中，"學"從來不是單純的知識積累，而是以人格轉化為核心的生命實踐；"聖賢"也並非遙不可及的神話人物，而是人人可學、可至的道德理想。然而，聖賢究竟是何種氣象？學者又當通過何種路徑去成就此氣象？這兩個問題構成了宋明理學家反覆思索的核心議題。
The "Sage-Like Persona" stands as one of the most original propositions of moral cultivation in Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism. It concerns not abstract conceptual deduction, but the concrete realization at the level of personal practice of the fundamental Confucian aim of "learning to be a sage." In the Confucian tradition, "learning" has never meant mere accumulation of knowledge; it is a life-praxis centered on personal transformation. Nor are "sages and worthies" mythological figures beyond reach—they represent a moral ideal that every person can learn and attain. Yet what manner of persona do the sages embody? And by what path may a learner cultivate such a persona? These two questions constitute the core issues to which Song-Ming Neo-Confucian thinkers repeatedly returned.
二程兄弟在北宋儒學復興運動中首次明確揭櫫"觀聖賢氣象"的修養法門，將學者的目光從章句訓詁引向對聖賢人格整體風貌的直觀與體悟。朱熹繼而以其宏大的理論綜合能力，將這一命題與《大學》八條目所揭示的修養次第嚴密對接，使"聖賢氣象"不再停留於審美性的讚歎，而成為有階梯、有方法、可踐履、可驗證的修養目標。降至近現代，錢穆先生以"實學"精神重新解讀朱子學，特彆強調"聖賢氣象"背後所蘊含的切實工夫品格，為我們理解這一命題提供了重要的方法論啟示。
During the Confucian revival of the Northern Song, the Cheng brothers first explicitly articulated the cultivation method of "observing the Sage-Like Persona," directing the learner's gaze from philological exegesis toward the intuitive apprehension and internalization of the holistic demeanor of the sage. Zhu Xi subsequently deployed his formidable synthetic powers to align this proposition rigorously with the cultivation sequence set forth in the Eight Steps of The Great Learning, thereby transforming the "Sage-Like Persona" from an object of aesthetic admiration into a cultivation goal with discernible stages, methods, practices, and verification. In the modern era, Qian Mu reinterpreted Zhu Xi's thought through the lens of "practical learning," emphasizing in particular the concrete, effortful character underlying the Sage-Like Persona—an insight that offers crucial methodological guidance for our own understanding.
本文的核心關切在於：以"學為聖賢"為根本出發點，沿《大學》八條目由內而外、由近及遠的踐履次第，系統闡釋"聖賢氣象"的義理內涵與成就路徑，並進而探討其在當代跨文化語境中的思想價值。全文圍繞"何以是聖賢氣象"與"如何成就聖賢氣象"兩個根本問題展開，力求在堅守中國哲學固有義理脈絡的同時，以國際學界可理解的學術語言傳達這一命題所蘊含的深厚人文精神。
The central concern of this paper is to take "learning to be a sage" as its fundamental point of departure, and to follow the practical sequence of the Eight Steps—proceeding from the inner to the outer, from the near to the far—in order to systematically explicate the conceptual meaning and the path of attainment of the Sage-Like Persona, and further to explore its intellectual value in the contemporary cross-cultural context. The entire discussion revolves around two fundamental questions: "What does it mean to speak of the Sage-Like Persona?" and "How does one attain it?" It seeks to remain faithful to the inherent conceptual framework of Chinese philosophy while communicating the profound humanistic spirit embedded in this proposition in an academic language accessible to the international scholarly community.
二、聖賢氣象的義理溯源與演進 / Conceptual Origin and Evolution
（一）二程"觀聖賢氣象"的首倡 / The Cheng Brothers' Initiative
北宋中期，面對佛老之學的強勢衝擊與漢唐經學的支離繁碎，程顥（Cheng Hao, 程顥，字伯淳，號明道，世稱明道先生）與程頤（Cheng Yi, 程頤，字正叔，號伊川，世稱伊川先生）兄弟以復興先秦儒家之道為己任，開啟了理學的基本規模。在修養論上，二程最為人稱道的創發之一，便是提出"觀聖賢氣象"的為學宗旨。程顥嘗言："學者不學聖人則已，若學之，當須觀聖人氣象。"此語將為學的目標直接指向對聖賢人格整體風貌的體認，而非對經典文字的記誦。
In the mid-Northern Song, confronted with the formidable challenge of Buddhist and Daoist learning and the fragmented pedantry of Han-Tang classical scholarship, the brothers Cheng Hao (程顥, courtesy name Bochun, known as Master Mingdao) and Cheng Yi (程頤, courtesy name Zhengshu, known as Master Yichuan) took it upon themselves to revive the Way of pre-Qin Confucianism and established the basic framework of Neo-Confucianism. In the realm of cultivation theory, one of their most admired innovations was the proposition of "observing the Sage-Like Persona" as the guiding aim of learning. Cheng Hao once remarked: "If a scholar is not going to learn from the sage, so be it; but if one is to learn, one must observe the persona of the sage." This statement directs the aim of learning straight toward the apprehension of the holistic demeanor of the sage, rather than toward the memorization of scriptural language.
guan shengxian qixiang：觀聖賢氣象 — "Observing the Sage-Like Persona." A Neo-Confucian cultivation method that calls upon the learner to contemplate, internalize, and gradually embody the integrated moral demeanor, deportment, and spiritual presence of the sages as recorded in classical texts and witnessed in exemplary lives. It is not a merely intellectual or aesthetic exercise, but a transformative practice in which the learner models the whole person of the sage.
在二程看來，"氣象"一詞所描述的，是一個人由內在德性充實而自然流露於外的整體精神風貌。它不同於具體的言行舉止，也不同於抽象的道德規範，而是德性人格在言談舉止、應事接物之間的整體性呈現。程顥本人的氣象即被時人譽為"如坐春風"，其溫潤和樂、從容不迫的人格魅力，正是"聖賢氣象"在現實中的鮮活示範。程頤則以其剛方嚴毅的氣象，展現了聖賢人格的另一面相。兄弟二人氣象雖異，卻共同昭示了"聖賢氣象"並非單一的人格模板，而是德性在不同氣質稟賦上的多樣呈現。
For the Cheng brothers, the term "persona" (qixiang, 氣象) describes the holistic spiritual bearing that flows naturally outward from a person's inner moral fullness. It is distinct from specific words and actions, and also from abstract moral norms; rather, it is the integrated manifestation of a virtuous character in speech, bearing, and the handling of affairs. Cheng Hao's own persona was praised by his contemporaries as "sitting in the spring breeze"—his gentle, joyful, and unhurried charisma served as a living demonstration of the Sage-Like Persona in reality. Cheng Yi, by contrast, embodied another facet of the sage's persona through his upright, rigorous, and austere bearing. Though the brothers' personas differed, they jointly demonstrated that the Sage-Like Persona is not a single template of personality, but the diverse manifestation of moral virtue upon differing temperamental endowments.
qixiang：氣象 — "Persona" or "moral bearing." A key Neo-Confucian term referring to the integrated, perceptible spiritual aura and demeanor that emanates from a cultivated person. It encompasses the totality of one's moral character as expressed in posture, speech, expression, and conduct—an outward manifestation that cannot be reduced to any single action or rule. The term carries both aesthetic and moral dimensions, suggesting a harmonious unity of inner virtue and outward form.
更為重要的是，二程將"觀聖賢氣象"與"學為聖人"直接關聯，確立了儒家修養的人格理想維度。在《論語》中，孔子（Kongzi, 孔子，名丘，字仲尼，儒家學派創始人）對堯舜等古聖的讚歎已含"觀氣象"之意，但將其提升為明確的修養方法論，則始於二程。這一創發的意義在於：它使儒家的道德學習超越了規則服從的層面，而成為對理想人格的直觀、嚮往與內在化過程。學者在"觀"的過程中，不僅是在認知聖賢的事跡，更是在以聖賢的生命形態為鏡，照見自身德性的不足，並激發起轉化自身的內在動力。
More importantly, the Cheng brothers directly linked "observing the Sage-Like Persona" with "learning to be a sage," thereby establishing the dimension of personal ideal in Confucian cultivation. In the Analects (Lunyu, 論語), Confucius' admiration for ancient sages such as Yao and Shun already implicitly contained the idea of "observing the persona," but it was the Cheng brothers who elevated it to an explicit methodology of cultivation. The significance of this innovation lies in its lifting Confucian moral learning beyond the level of rule-obedience, transforming it into a process of intuitive apprehension, aspiration, and internalization of the ideal personality. In the very act of "observing," the learner is not merely cognizing the deeds of the sages, but is using the sages' form of life as a mirror to reveal the deficiencies in his own virtue and to arouse the inner motivation for self-transformation.
（二）朱熹的拓展與體系化 / Zhu Xi's Expansion and Systematization
朱熹作為南宋理學的集大成者，對二程所開創的"聖賢氣象"命題進行了系統性的拓展與深化。朱熹的貢獻不僅在於對"聖賢氣象"本身的義理闡釋，更在於將其納入一個以《大學》為核心的修養工夫體系之中，使之獲得了堅實的方法論支撐。在朱熹看來，"聖賢氣象"固然是學者所當嚮往的人格理想，但這一理想絕非可以通過頓悟或想象而獲得，而必須經由《大學》八條目所揭示的次第工夫，逐步積累、層層推進，方能真實成就。
As the great synthesizer of Southern Song Neo-Confucianism, Zhu Xi systematically expanded and deepened the proposition of the "Sage-Like Persona" inaugurated by the Cheng brothers. His contribution lies not only in his conceptual explication of the Sage-Like Persona itself, but more significantly in his integration of it into a system of cultivation effort centered on The Great Learning, thereby endowing it with solid methodological support. For Zhu Xi, while the Sage-Like Persona is indeed the personal ideal toward which the learner should aspire, this ideal can by no means be attained through sudden enlightenment or imagination. Rather, it must be genuinely achieved through the sequential effort revealed by the Eight Steps of The Great Learning—through gradual accumulation and layer-by-layer advancement.
朱熹在《四書章句集注》（Sishu Zhangju Jizhu, 四書章句集注，朱熹為《大學》《論語》《孟子》《中庸》所作的集注，後世科舉考試的標準解釋）中，對《大學》"經一章"的注釋明確指出："《大學》之書，古之大學所以教人之法也。"在他看來，《大學》所揭示的"三綱領八條目"，正是從"學為聖賢"到"成就聖賢氣象"的完整路徑。其中，"格物、致知"是知的工夫，"誠意、正心、修身"是行的工夫，"齊家、治國、平天下"則是德性推擴的外王層面。知行並進、內外交養，最終臻於聖賢氣象。
In his Collected Commentaries on the Four Books (Sishu Zhangju Jizhu, 四書章句集注)—the authoritative commentary on The Great Learning, the Analects, the Mencius, and the Doctrine of the Mean that became the standard interpretation for the imperial examinations—Zhu Xi explicitly states in his annotation to the first chapter of The Great Learning: "The book of The Great Learning is the method by which the ancient great learning taught people." In his view, the "Three Cardinal Guidelines and Eight Steps" articulated in The Great Learning constitute the complete path from "learning to be a sage" to "attaining the Sage-Like Persona." Among them, "investigating things and extending knowledge" constitute the effort of knowing; "making intentions sincere, rectifying the mind, and cultivating the person" constitute the effort of practice; and "regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world" represent the outer-king dimension of moral extension. Through the simultaneous advancement of knowledge and practice, and the mutual nurturing of inner and outer cultivation, one ultimately reaches the Sage-Like Persona.
Sishu Zhangju Jizhu：四書章句集注 — "Collected Commentaries on the Four Books." Zhu Xi's magisterial commentary on the Four Books, completed in its definitive form in 1190. It synthesized the commentaries of earlier Neo-Confucian thinkers with Zhu Xi's own interpretations and became the authoritative basis for the civil service examinations from the Yuan dynasty through the late Qing, profoundly shaping Chinese intellectual life for nearly seven centuries.
朱熹對"聖賢氣象"的另一重要發展，是將其與"敬"（jing, 敬，貫穿始終的道德修養心態，含敬畏、專註、肅整之意）的工夫緊密結合。在《朱子語類》（Zhuzi Yulei, 朱子語類，朱熹講學語錄的分類彙編，由其弟子記錄整理）中，朱熹多次強調："敬字工夫，乃聖門第一義，徹頭徹尾，不可頃刻間斷。"在他看來，"敬"是貫穿八條目始終的根本工夫，也是成就聖賢氣象的內在保障。唯有居敬持志，方能在格物致知中不流於支離，在誠意正心中不陷於虛玄，在修齊治平中不墮於功利。
Another crucial development Zhu Xi made to the Sage-Like Persona was its close integration with the cultivation effort of "reverence" (jing, 敬). In the Classified Conversations of Master Zhu (Zhuzi Yulei, 朱子語類, the classified compilation of Zhu Xi's teaching discourses recorded by his disciples), he repeatedly emphasized: "The effort of reverence is the foremost teaching of the sage's gate; from beginning to end, it must not be interrupted for a single moment." In his view, reverence is the fundamental effort that runs through all Eight Steps, and it is also the inner guarantee for attaining the Sage-Like Persona. Only by maintaining reverence and holding fast to one's resolve can one avoid fragmentation in investigating things and extending knowledge, avoid empty mysticism in making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind, and avoid utilitarianism in cultivating the person, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.
jing：敬 — "Reverence." The central Neo-Confucian cultivation attitude, encompassing a sense of awe, focused attention, and moral seriousness. For Zhu Xi, jing is not mere emotional respect but a sustained, deliberate composure of mind that grounds all other cultivation practices. It is described as "the first principle of the sage's gate" and must be maintained without interruption from the beginning to the end of the cultivation journey. Jing functions as the unifying thread that prevents knowing from becoming scattered and practice from becoming utilitarian.
（三）錢穆"實學"精神的重構 / Qian Mu's Reconstruction through Practical Learning
近現代以來，對朱子學的理解常受兩種傾向的影響：一則將其視為純粹的思辨哲學，偏重其"理"（li, 理，宇宙萬物的本體與準則，含規律、秩序、應當之義）論的形上建構；二則將其視為僵化的禮教意識形態，忽視其活的修養實踐品格。錢穆先生在《朱子新學案》中對這兩種傾向均有糾正，他以"實學"精神重新審視朱子學的全貌，特別揭示了朱熹思想中注重切實工夫、強調步步踐履的核心面向。
In the modern period, the understanding of Zhu Xi's thought has often been influenced by two tendencies: one treats it as purely speculative philosophy, emphasizing the metaphysical construction of its theory of "Principle" (li, 理); the other dismisses it as a rigid ideological system of ritual propriety, overlooking its living character as cultivation practice. In New Studies on Zhu Xi, Qian Mu corrects both tendencies. Re-examining the full scope of Zhu Xi's thought through the spirit of "practical learning," he reveals in particular the core dimension of Zhu Xi's thinking that emphasizes concrete effort and step-by-step practice.
li：理 — "Principle" or "Pattern." The central metaphysical concept in Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, referring to the immanent yet transcendent order, structure, and normative standard that governs all things. Li is both the ontological ground of existence and the moral principle of human conduct. It is universal and one, yet it manifests differentially in each concrete thing (the doctrine of "liyi fenshu," 理一分殊, "Principle is one, its manifestations are many"). Unlike a mere physical law, li carries an inherent normative dimension—it is not only what is but also what ought to be.
錢穆指出，朱子之學的根本精神在於"實"——實理、實心、實功、實效。"聖賢氣象"在朱子那裡，絕非懸空想象的審美境界，也非僅憑頓悟即可達至的神秘體驗，而是必須通過今日格一物、明日格一物的積累工夫，通過誠意正心的省察（xingcha, 省察，自我反省與檢察）工夫，通過修身齊家的實踐工夫，方能真實呈現於人格之中的道德成就。錢穆的這一解讀，為我們理解"聖賢氣象"提供了關鍵的視角轉換：從"看"聖賢氣象，轉向"做"聖賢氣象；從靜態的人格讚歎，轉向動態的工夫歷程。
Qian Mu points out that the fundamental spirit of Zhu Xi's learning lies in "concreteness"—concrete principle, concrete mind, concrete effort, concrete effect. For Zhu Xi, the Sage-Like Persona is by no means an abstract aesthetic realm of disembodied imagination, nor a mystical experience attainable through sudden enlightenment alone. Rather, it is a moral achievement that can only genuinely manifest in one's character through the cumulative effort of investigating one thing today and another tomorrow, through the self-examining effort of making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind, and through the practical effort of cultivating the person and regulating the family. This interpretation by Qian Mu provides a crucial shift of perspective for our understanding of the Sage-Like Persona: from "beholding" the Sage-Like Persona to "doing" the Sage-Like Persona; from static admiration of personality to the dynamic process of cultivation effort.
shixue：實學 — "Practical Learning." A term used by Qian Mu and other modern scholars to characterize the concrete, practice-oriented dimension of Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism. It emphasizes that moral learning must be grounded in real principles, exercised through a real mind, expressed in real effort, and verified in real effects. Shixue stands in contrast to both empty metaphysical speculation and purely formal ritualism, affirming that the Sage-Like Persona is achieved only through sustained, tangible cultivation practice in daily life.
三、何以是聖賢氣象：義理內涵 / What Does It Mean: Conceptual Meaning
（一）氣與象：本體論基礎 / Qi and Xiang: The Ontological Foundation
要理解"聖賢氣象"的義理內涵，首先須釐清"氣"（qi, 氣，構成人與萬物的物質性與精神性統一的生命力，含生理、心理、精神多重維度）與"象"（xiang, 象，事物內在本質的外在顯現與可感知的形相）兩個概念。在宋明理學的話語體系中，"氣"並非純粹的物質質料，而是貫通形神、兼攝身心的生命力範疇。人所稟受的氣有清濁、厚薄、偏全之分，由此形成了不同的氣質稟賦。然而，氣並非純然消極的概念——在修養論的視野中，氣可以通過"變化氣質"的工夫而得到轉化與升華。
To understand the conceptual meaning of the Sage-Like Persona, one must first clarify the two concepts of "qi" (氣, psycho-physical vital force) and "xiang" (象, manifest image or form). In the discourse of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, qi is not mere material stuff; it is a category of vital force that bridges the physical and the spiritual, encompassing body and mind. The qi that a person receives varies in clarity and turbidity, thickness and thinness, partiality and completeness, giving rise to differing temperamental endowments. Yet qi is not an exclusively negative concept—in the perspective of cultivation theory, qi can be transformed and sublimated through the effort of "transforming one's psycho-physical constitution" (bianhua qizhi, 變化氣質).
qi：氣 — "Psycho-physical vital force" or "vital energy." In Neo-Confucian cosmology, qi is the dynamic, constitutive energy that gives concrete form to all things and persons. It is both physical and psychological, material and vital. Each person receives a particular endowment of qi that shapes their temperament, capacities, and dispositions. Crucially, qi is not static or deterministic: through moral cultivation, one can "transform one's qi" (變化氣質), refining and elevating one's natural endowment. The Sage-Like Persona is precisely the refined, luminous qi that results from thoroughgoing moral transformation.
xiang：象 — "Manifest image" or "perceptible form." In Chinese philosophical usage, xiang refers to the outward, perceptible manifestation of an inner reality. It is not a mere appearance in the pejorative sense, but the necessary and meaningful expression of what is within. The "xiang" of the sage is the visible, perceptible form that their inner moral virtue takes—their bearing, expression, manner, and the overall impression they create. Thus "qixiang" (氣象) denotes the integrated vital-manifestation: the refined qi of the sage made perceptible as a distinctive moral aura.
"象"則是內在本質的外在顯現。在《周易》（Zhouyi, 周易，又稱《易經》，中國最古老的經典之一，以卦象符號系統闡發宇宙與人生的變化法則）傳統中，"象"是"理"的可見形態，是本體在現象界的具體呈現。將"氣"與"象"合而為"氣象"，所表達的正是：一個人的內在德性通過其氣的升華與轉化，自然呈現為可感知的整體人格風貌。聖賢之氣象，並非聖賢有意造作的外在裝飾，而是其德性充沛、氣質精純之後所自然流露的生命形態。正如程顥所雲："天地生物之氣象，聖人亦有之。"聖賢氣象所體現的，正是與天地生物之心相貫通的仁德（ren, 仁，儒家最高的道德範疇，含愛人、生生、公溥諸義）在人格中的完滿呈現。
"Xiang," by contrast, is the outward manifestation of inner essence. In the tradition of the Book of Changes (Zhouyi, 周易), xiang is the visible form of li, the concrete presentation of fundamental reality in the phenomenal world. When qi and xiang are combined into "qixiang" (氣象), what is expressed is precisely this: a person's inner moral virtue, through the sublimation and transformation of their qi, naturally manifests as a perceptible, integrated personal bearing. The Sage-Like Persona is not an external decoration deliberately crafted by the sage; it is the form of life that flows naturally when their virtue is full and their qi is pure. As Cheng Hao remarked: "The creative persona of heaven and earth in giving life to things—the sage also possesses it." What the Sage-Like Persona embodies is precisely the perfect manifestation in personality of ren (仁, benevolence or humaneness)—the highest Confucian moral category, encompassing love, creativity, and impartial generosity—in continuity with the life-giving heart of heaven and earth.
ren：仁 — "Benevolence" or "humaneness." The highest moral virtue in Confucianism, encompassing love for others, the creative impulse of life (sheng sheng, 生生), and impartial care. For Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucians, ren is not merely one virtue among others but the vital root from which all other virtues grow. It is identified with the "mind of heaven and earth" that produces and nourishes all things. The Sage-Like Persona is ultimately the persona of ren made fully visible—a warmth, generosity, and creative vitality that mirrors the life-giving character of the cosmos itself.
（二）內德與外儀的統一 / The Unity of Inner Virtue and Outward Deportment
"聖賢氣象"的義理內涵，其次體現為內德與外儀的統一。在儒家傳統中，"德"（de, 德，內在的道德品質與人格力量）與"儀"（yi, 儀，外在的禮儀規範與行為舉止）從來不是割裂的兩端。孔子曰："文質彬彬，然後君子。"（《論語·雍也》）內在的道德品質（質）與外在的文化禮儀（文）必須相得益彰，方能成就完整的君子人格。聖賢氣象正是這種"文質彬彬"在最高層次上的體現——內在德性的充實自然流露為外在的威儀與和樂，而外在的禮儀踐履又反過來涵養和深化內在的德性。
The conceptual meaning of the Sage-Like Persona is, second, embodied in the unity of inner virtue and outward deportment. In the Confucian tradition, "virtue" (de, 德, inner moral quality and personal power) and "ritual deportment" (yi, 儀, outward ceremonial norms and conduct) have never been two separate poles. Confucius said: "When substance and culture are in proper balance, then you have the gentleman" (Analects 6.18). Inner moral quality (substance) and outward cultural refinement (culture) must complement each other to achieve the complete person of the junzi (君子, exemplary person). The Sage-Like Persona is precisely this "proper balance of substance and culture" at its highest level—the fullness of inner virtue naturally flows out into dignified and joyful outward bearing, while outward ritual practice in turn nurtures and deepens inner virtue.
junzi：君子 — "Exemplary person" or "noble person." The Confucian ideal of the morally cultivated person, standing in contrast to the xiaoren (小人, petty person). The junzi is characterized by the unity of inner virtue and outward cultural refinement, by commitment to the Way rather than mere profit, and by the capacity to transform others through moral example. While the sage represents the highest ideal, the junzi is the attainable model for all learners; the Sage-Like Persona may be understood as the junzi persona brought to its fullest perfection.
朱熹對此有極為精到的論述。他在注釋《大學》"富潤屋，德潤身"時指出："德潤身者，謂人能修德，則其身體髮膚皆為所潤，而自然安舒舒泰，見於面，盎於背，施於四體，四體不言而喻。"（《四書章句集注·大學章句》）在朱熹看來，德性對人身的浸潤是全方位的——它不僅影響人的內心狀態，更會自然呈現於面容、脊背、四肢的儀態之中。這種由內而外的自然流露，正是"聖賢氣象"的本質特徵。它不是刻意的表演，而是德性充沛到一定程度後的必然呈現。
Zhu Xi offers an especially incisive discussion of this point. In his commentary on the phrase in The Great Learning—"riches adorn a house; virtue adorns the person"—he writes: "'Virtue adorns the person' means that when one cultivates virtue, one's entire body—flesh and skin—is nourished by it, and one naturally becomes at ease and serene. It shows in the face, overflows in the back, and extends to the four limbs; the four limbs understand it without words" (Collected Commentaries, Commentary on The Great Learning). For Zhu Xi, virtue's permeation of the person is comprehensive—it affects not only one's inner state but naturally manifests in the bearing of face, back, and limbs. This natural outflow from within is the essential characteristic of the Sage-Like Persona. It is not deliberate performance, but the inevitable manifestation of virtue when it has reached a certain fullness.
然而，內德與外儀的統一併非自然達成，而須通過持續的修養工夫來維繫。朱熹特彆強調"敬"在其中的樞紐作用：唯有居敬，方能使內在的德性不致放失，外在的威儀不致惰慢。"敬"如同一座橋樑，將內在的德性涵養（hanyang, 涵養，以敬畏與專註來滋養德性）與外在的禮儀踐履貫通起來。當學者在"敬"的持守中，使內心常存敬畏、常覺警醒，其外在的言行舉止自然會趨於中節合度；而當中節合度的外在行為成為習慣，又會反過來穩固內在的德性。如此內外交養、循環遞進，聖賢氣象便在這一過程中逐漸養成。
Yet the unity of inner virtue and outward deportment is not achieved naturally; it must be sustained through continuous cultivation effort. Zhu Xi particularly emphasizes the pivotal role of "reverence" (jing): only through maintaining reverence can inner virtue be prevented from dissipating and outward dignity from degenerating into laxity. Reverence functions as a bridge, connecting inner moral nurturing (hanyang, 涵養) with outward ritual practice. When the learner, in the holding of reverence, keeps the mind constantly in awe and alertness, outward words and actions naturally tend toward what is appropriate and measured; and when appropriate, measured outward behavior becomes habitual, it in turn stabilizes inner virtue. Through this mutual nurturing of inner and outer, in a cycle of progressive advancement, the Sage-Like Persona is gradually cultivated.
（三）聖賢作為活的道德範式 / The Sage as a Living Moral Paradigm
"聖賢氣象"的第三層義理內涵，在於聖賢並非抽象的道德符號，而是活的道德範式。在程朱理學的語境中，"聖賢"首先是具體的歷史人物——堯、舜、禹、湯、文、武、周公、孔子、孟子等，他們的生平事跡、言行舉止被載於經典之中，成為後世學者"觀氣象"的具體對象。然而，聖賢之所以為聖賢，並不在於他們的歷史地位，而在於他們所體現的道德人格具有普遍的典範意義。
The third dimension of the conceptual meaning of the Sage-Like Persona is that sages are not abstract moral symbols but living moral paradigms. In the context of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, "sages and worthies" are first and foremost concrete historical figures—Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, the Duke of Zhou, Confucius, Mencius, and others. Their life stories, words, and deeds are recorded in the classics, becoming the concrete objects through which later learners "observe the persona." Yet what makes sages sages is not their historical status, but the universal exemplary significance of the moral personalities they embody.
二程特彆強調，學者觀聖賢氣象，不可只觀其跡，更要觀其所以跡。所謂"跡"，是聖賢在具體歷史情境中的言行事跡；所謂"所以跡"，則是這些言行事跡背後所體現的德性與道心。如果學者只模仿聖賢的外在言行，而不體悟其內在的德性精神，便會陷入"效顰"式的機械模仿，反而與聖賢氣象背道而馳。因此，"觀聖賢氣象"本質上是一種"以意逆志"的理解活動——學者以自身的德性體驗去迎逆聖賢的志向與用心，在心靈的感通中把握聖賢氣象的精神實質。
The Cheng brothers particularly emphasized that when learners observe the Sage-Like Persona, they must not merely observe the "traces" (ji, 跡) but more importantly observe that "by which the traces are traced" (suoyi ji, 所以跡). The "traces" are the sages' concrete words and deeds in specific historical situations; "that by which the traces are traced" is the virtue and the mind of the Way underlying those words and deeds. If learners merely imitate the sages' outward words and actions without apprehending their inner moral spirit, they fall into mechanical mimicry—"imitating the frown of the beauty"—and thereby move further from the Sage-Like Persona. Thus, "observing the Sage-Like Persona" is essentially an act of understanding through "meeting the intention with one's own mind" (yi yi ni zhi, 以意逆志): the learner uses their own moral experience to meet and apprehend the sage's aspiration and intent, grasping the spiritual essence of the Sage-Like Persona through the resonance of mind with mind.
朱熹進一步將這一"活的道德範式"的思想與《大學》八條目結合起來。在他看來，聖賢氣象之所以可學可至，正是因為聖賢所走過的修養路徑——從格物致知到平天下——是人人可以遵循的普遍路徑。聖賢並非天生的異類，而是通過切實工夫將人人本具的德性充分實現出來的人。因此，"學為聖賢"不是要學者成為某個具體歷史人物的復製品，而是要學者沿着聖賢所開闢的修養道路，成就自身本具的德性可能，呈現出屬於自己的聖賢氣象。這正是儒家"人人皆可以為堯舜"信念的深刻表達。
Zhu Xi further integrated this idea of the "living moral paradigm" with the Eight Steps of The Great Learning. In his view, the reason the Sage-Like Persona can be learned and attained is precisely that the cultivation path the sages traversed—from investigating things to bringing peace to the world—is a universal path that anyone may follow. Sages are not a separate species by birth; they are persons who, through concrete effort, have fully realized the moral virtue that every person inherently possesses. Thus, "learning to be a sage" does not mean the learner should become a replica of some specific historical figure. Rather, it means the learner should follow the cultivation road opened by the sages, realize the moral potential inherent in themselves, and manifest a Sage-Like Persona that is uniquely their own. This is the profound expression of the Confucian conviction that "every person can become a Yao or a Shun."
四、如何成就聖賢氣象：《大學》八條目修養路徑 / How to Attain It: The Eight Steps
（一）格物致知：認知基礎 / Investigating Things and Extending Knowledge
《大學》八條目以"格物""致知"為始，這一安排具有深刻的義理考量。在朱熹的詮釋中，"格物"（gewu, 格物，即物而窮其理，對事物之理進行探究與窮盡）與"致知"（zhizhi, 致知，推致吾心之知，使心知無所不盡）是修養的認知基礎。朱熹在《大學或問》中指出："格物者，格，盡也，須是窮盡事物之理。"所謂"格物"，不是對事物進行外在的客觀觀察，而是以吾心之知去即物窮理，在事事物物中體認其所具之理，並進而貫通眾理，最終達到對"天理"（tianli, 天理，宇宙的普遍道德法則與本體秩序）的整體把握。
The Eight Steps of The Great Learning begin with "investigating things" (gewu) and "extending knowledge" (zhizhi致知), an arrangement of profound conceptual significance. In Zhu Xi's interpretation, investigating things and extending knowledge constitute the cognitive foundation of cultivation. In his Questions on The Great Learning (Daxue Huowen, 大學或問), Zhu Xi states: "'Investigating things'—ge means 'to exhaust'; one must exhaust the principle of things." Investigating things is not external objective observation of things, but the use of one's mind's knowing to approach things and exhaust their principle—to apprehend the principle inherent in each and every thing, and thereby to penetrate and connect the myriad principles, ultimately reaching a comprehensive grasp of the "Heavenly Principle" (tianli, 天理).
gewu：格物 — "Investigating things." The first step of the Eight Steps. In Zhu Xi's interpretation, gewu means approaching concrete things and affairs in order to exhaust the principle (li) inherent in them. It is not empirical science in the modern sense but a moral-epistemological practice: through attentive engagement with the principles of things, one deepens one's understanding of the normative order that governs both cosmos and human life. Zhu Xi famously speaks of "investigating one thing today, another tomorrow"—a gradual, cumulative process that eventually leads to a "sudden penetration" (huoran guantong, 豁然貫通) of all principles.
zhizhi：致知 — "Extending knowledge." The second step of the Eight Steps, intimately linked with gewu. Zhizhi means extending and completing the knowledge inherent in one's mind. For Zhu Xi, the mind inherently possesses the capacity to know, but this capacity remains partial and obscured until it is exercised through the investigation of things. Extending knowledge is thus not the acquisition of entirely new information from without, but the activation and fulfillment of one's innate capacity for moral understanding through engagement with the principles of concrete things. The unity of gewu and zhizhi ensures that knowing is never abstract but always grounded in the concrete, and that the concrete is always illuminated by the universal.
格物致知對於成就聖賢氣象的意義，在於它為學者提供了對"理"的真切認知。聖賢氣象不是盲目的道德熱情的產物，而是建立在對道德之理的深切理解之上的人格呈現。一個人如果不了解父子之親、君臣之義、夫婦之別、長幼之序、朋友之信等根本倫理之理，便不可能在人倫日用中自然呈現出中節合度的聖賢氣象。格物致知的工夫，正是要學者在事事物物中明辨其理，使心知無所不明，從而為後續的誠意正心奠定堅實的認知基礎。
The significance of investigating things and extending knowledge for attaining the Sage-Like Persona lies in its provision of a genuine understanding of "principle." The Sage-Like Persona is not the product of blind moral enthusiasm, but a personal presentation grounded in a deep understanding of moral principle. If a person does not understand the fundamental ethical principles—the affection between father and son, the righteousness between ruler and minister, the distinction between husband and wife, the order between elder and younger, the trust between friends—they cannot naturally manifest an appropriate, measured Sage-Like Persona in daily human relations. The effort of investigating things and extending knowledge is precisely to enable the learner to discern principle in each and every thing, so that the mind's knowing leaves nothing unillumined, thereby laying a solid cognitive foundation for the subsequent steps of making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind.
需要特別指出的是，朱熹的格物致知論並非純粹的知識論，而是始終服務於道德修養的目的。他在《朱子語類》中明確說："格物致知，是要識得這個道理，然後誠意正心做工夫。"格物致知所獲得的"知"，不是與道德實踐無關的客觀知識，而是對人倫日用之理的道德認知。這種"知"一旦真切，便自然會導向"行"——因為對道德之理的真切認知本身就包含着踐行的動力。這就是朱熹"知行相須"（zhixing xiangxu, 知行相須，知與行互相依賴、互相促進）思想的深刻內涵。
It must be particularly noted that Zhu Xi's theory of investigating things and extending knowledge is not pure epistemology; it always serves the purpose of moral cultivation. He states explicitly in the Classified Conversations: "Investigating things and extending knowledge means understanding this principle, and then making the effort of making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind." The "knowledge" obtained through investigating things and extending knowledge is not objective knowledge unrelated to moral practice, but moral understanding of the principles of daily human relations. Once this knowledge is genuine, it naturally leads to "practice"—because genuine understanding of moral principle inherently contains the motivation to act upon it. This is the profound meaning of Zhu Xi's thought that "knowledge and practice are mutually dependent" (zhixing xiangxu, 知行相須).
（二）誠意正心：內在轉化 / Making Intentions Sincere and Rectifying the Mind
在格物致知的基礎上，《大學》繼而提出"誠意"與"正心"兩步，這是修養由認知層面向意志和情感層面的深化。"誠意"（chengyi, 誠意，使心志真誠，不自欺，好惡出於實然）的核心在於"毋自欺"——學者在已知善惡之理的基礎上，必須使自己的意志真誠地向善去惡，而非表面行善而內心仍有私慾的夾雜。《大學》以"如惡惡臭，如好好色"來形容誠意的狀態：對善的喜好應當如同喜好美色一樣發自內心，對惡的厭惡應當如同厭惡惡臭一樣出於本能。這種發自內心的真誠，是道德行為具有真實力量的根源。
Building upon the foundation of investigating things and extending knowledge, The Great Learning then proposes the two steps of "making intentions sincere" (chengyi) and "rectifying the mind" (zhengxin). These represent the deepening of cultivation from the cognitive level to the levels of will and emotion. The core of making intentions sincere lies in "not deceiving oneself" (wu zi qi, 毋自欺): on the basis of having understood the principles of good and evil, the learner must make their will sincerely incline toward good and away from evil, rather than performing good outwardly while still harboring selfish desires within. The Great Learning describes the state of sincere intention with the analogies "as one dislikes a foul smell, as one loves a beautiful sight": one's love of the good should be as spontaneous as the love of beauty, and one's hatred of evil as instinctive as the aversion to a stench. This sincerity arising from the depths of the heart is the source of the genuine power of moral action.
chengyi：誠意 — "Making intentions sincere." The third step of the Eight Steps. Chengyi means rendering one's inner will and motivation authentic, free from self-deception. It is the moment when moral knowledge passes into moral commitment: having understood what is good and evil, one resolves to love the good and hate evil with one's whole heart. The Great Learning emphasizes that sincerity must be genuine, not performative—"what is truly within will be manifested without" (cheng yu zhong xing yu wai, 誠於中形於外). Without sincerity, all subsequent cultivation risks becoming hollow pretense.
"正心"（zhengxin, 正心，使心端正，不為忿懥、恐懼、好樂、憂患等情緒所偏動）則進一步要求學者端正自己的心靈狀態，不使忿懥、恐懼、好樂、憂患等情緒偏頗地影響自己的判斷與行為。《大學》指出："身有所忿懥，則不得其正；有所恐懼，則不得其正；有所好樂，則不得其正；有所憂患，則不得其正。"這裡的"正心"並非要學者消滅一切情感，而是要學者使情感的發用皆合乎節度，不致因私情的偏蔽而使心失其正。朱熹強調，正心的關鍵仍在於"敬"——居敬則心常惺惺，不為情緒所動而失其正。
"Rectifying the mind" (zhengxin) further requires the learner to rectify the state of their mind, ensuring that emotions such as anger, fear, fondness, and anxiety do not bias their judgment and conduct. The Great Learning states: "If the mind is under the influence of anger, it cannot be rectified; under fear, it cannot be rectified; under fondness, it cannot be rectified; under anxiety, it cannot be rectified." Here, "rectifying the mind" does not mean the learner should extinguish all emotions, but rather that the expression of emotions should all be properly measured, so that the mind does not lose its rectitude through the partial obstruction of private feeling. Zhu Xi emphasizes that the key to rectifying the mind still lies in "reverence": through maintaining reverence, the mind remains ever alert and awake, and is not moved by emotion to lose its rectitude.
zhengxin：正心 — "Rectifying the mind." The fourth step of the Eight Steps. Zhengxin means ensuring that the mind-heart remains balanced, clear, and not distorted by the sway of particular emotions. It does not advocate the suppression of emotion but rather their proper ordering and regulation. For Zhu Xi, the mind is the master of the body; when it is rectified, all emotions and desires respond appropriately to situations. The rectified mind is one that remains centered and impartial, responding to things as they are rather than as one's private feelings would have them be.
誠意與正心對於成就聖賢氣象具有關鍵意義。聖賢氣象之所以具有感人的力量，正在於它是真誠無偽的——聖賢的一言一行皆出於真誠的德性，而非刻意的造作。如果學者不能誠意，其道德行為便會淪為"義襲"——即偶爾做出合乎道義的行為，卻並非出於內心的真誠，如此則不可能形成穩定的聖賢氣象。如果學者不能正心，其情緒的偏頗便會在言談舉止中流露出來，破壞氣象的和樂與中正。因此，誠意正心是將格物致知所獲得的道德認知轉化為內在德性品質的關鍵環節。
Making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind are of crucial significance for attaining the Sage-Like Persona. The reason the Sage-Like Persona possesses moving power is precisely that it is sincere and without pretense—every word and action of the sage flows from genuine virtue, not deliberate contrivance. If the learner cannot make their intentions sincere, their moral actions will degenerate into "righteousness by fits and starts" (yi xi, 義襲)—occasionally performing actions that conform to morality, but not from inner sincerity—and in this way a stable Sage-Like Persona can never be formed. If the learner cannot rectify their mind, the bias of their emotions will show through in speech and bearing, undermining the harmony and centeredness of their persona. Thus, making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind constitute the crucial link in transforming the moral understanding obtained through investigating things and extending knowledge into inner moral character.
（三）修身：中樞樞紐 / Cultivating the Person: The Central Pivot
"修身"（xiushen, 修身，修養自身的品德與言行，使身心皆合於道德規範）在《大學》八條目居於中樞地位。《大學》明確指出："自天子以至於庶人，壹是皆以修身為本。"從格物致知到誠意正心，都是修身的內在工夫；而齊家、治國、平天下，則是修身的外在推擴。修身是連接"內聖"與"外王"的樞紐，也是成就聖賢氣象的核心環節。
"Cultivating the person" (xiushen) occupies the central position among the Eight Steps. The Great Learning explicitly states: "From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all must take cultivating the person as the root." From investigating things and extending knowledge to making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind, all are inner efforts of cultivating the person; while regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world are its outward extension. Cultivating the person is the pivot connecting "inner sagehood" (nei sheng, 內聖) with "outer kingship" (wai wang, 外王), and it is the core link in attaining the Sage-Like Persona.
xiushen：修身 — "Cultivating the person." The fifth and central step of the Eight Steps. Xiushen means the comprehensive cultivation of one's entire person—mind, body, character, and conduct—so that all dimensions of one's being conform to moral principle. It is the pivotal point where inner moral transformation becomes visible in outward conduct, and from which moral influence radiates outward to family, state, and world. The Great Learning declares it the "root" (ben, 本) for all persons, regardless of social status, emphasizing that all social and political order ultimately depends on the moral cultivation of individuals.
朱熹對修身的理解，特彆強調"敬"的貫串作用。他在《四書或問》中說："修身以敬，蓋心之神明，妙眾理而宰萬物，其體則具乎仁義禮智之性，其用則行乎喜怒哀樂之情。敬以直內，則心無不正；義以方外，則身無不修。"在朱熹看來，修身的實質就是以"敬"來持守內心，以"義"（yi, 義，合乎時宜的道德判斷與行為準則）來規範外在行為，使身心內外皆合於道德之正。當學者的身心皆得到修養，其言行舉止、容貌辭氣便會自然呈現出一種端莊、和樂、從容、中正的氣象——這正是聖賢氣象在個人層面的初步成就。
Zhu Xi's understanding of cultivating the person particularly emphasizes the unifying role of "reverence." In his Questions on the Four Books, he writes: "Cultivate the person through reverence. For the spiritual intelligence of the mind, which subtly comprehends the myriad principles and governs the myriad things, in its substance possesses the nature of benevolence, righteousness, ritual propriety, and wisdom; in its function it exercises the emotions of pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy. Through reverence to straighten the inner, the mind is nowhere unrectified; through righteousness to square the outer, the person is nowhere uncultivated." For Zhu Xi, the essence of cultivating the person is to use "reverence" to hold fast the inner mind and "righteousness" (yi) to regulate outward conduct, so that both inner and outer dimensions of body and mind conform to moral rectitude. When the learner's body and mind are both cultivated, their words, actions, countenance, and tone of voice will naturally manifest a dignified, harmonious, unhurried, and centered persona—this is the initial achievement of the Sage-Like Persona at the personal level.
修身的另一重要面向是"變化氣質"。如前所述，人所稟受的氣質有清濁偏全之異，而修身的工夫正在於通過持續的道德實踐，逐漸轉化自身的氣質之偏。朱熹說："為學乃能變化氣質耳。"（《朱子語類》）氣質變化之後，原本偏急的人變得寬和，原本柔懦的人變得剛毅，原本粗疏的人變得縝密——這種氣質的轉化正是聖賢氣象得以形成的生理與心理基礎。當氣質得到充分的變化與升華，聖賢氣象便不再是外在的模仿，而是從生命深處自然流出的真實呈現。
Another important dimension of cultivating the person is "transforming one's psycho-physical constitution" (bianhua qizhi, 變化氣質). As discussed above, the qi-endowment that each person receives varies in clarity, turbidity, partiality, and completeness; the effort of cultivating the person consists precisely in gradually transforming the bias of one's own constitution through sustained moral practice. Zhu Xi says: "To learn is to be able to transform one's psycho-physical constitution" (Classified Conversations). After the constitution is transformed, the naturally impatient become generous and gentle, the naturally weak become firm and resolute, the naturally careless become careful and precise—this transformation of constitution is precisely the psycho-physical and psychological foundation upon which the Sage-Like Persona can be formed. When the constitution has been thoroughly transformed and sublimated, the Sage-Like Persona is no longer outward imitation, but a genuine manifestation flowing naturally from the depths of one's being.
（四）齊家：推擴之始 / Regulating the Family: The Beginning of Extension
修身之後，《大學》繼而提出"齊家"（qijia, 齊家，整治家族，使家族成員各安其分、和睦相處），這是德性由個人向社會推擴的第一步。在儒家的理解中，家庭是個人成長的第一環境，也是人倫關係最基本、最密切的場所。父子、兄弟、夫婦——這三倫構成了家庭的基本關係，也是一個人學習如何處理人倫關係的起點。因此，齊家不僅是治理家庭事務，更是將修身所得的德性在最切近的人倫關係中加以實踐和檢驗。
After cultivating the person, The Great Learning then proposes "regulating the family" (qijia), the first step in extending virtue from the individual to society. In the Confucian understanding, the family is the primary environment for personal growth and the most basic and intimate arena of human relations. Father-son, elder-younger brother, husband-wife—these three relationships constitute the basic structure of the family and the starting point from which a person learns to handle human relations. Thus, regulating the family is not merely managing household affairs; it is the practice and testing of the virtue obtained through cultivating the person in the most immediate human relationships.
qijia：齊家 — "Regulating the family." The sixth step of the Eight Steps. Qijia means bringing order and harmony to one's family, ensuring that each member fulfills their proper role and that relationships are conducted with virtue. The family is the first and most intimate sphere of moral practice; it is where the virtues cultivated in the person are first tested and extended. The Great Learning warns that one cannot teach others what one has failed to practice in one's own family—thus the family serves as the indispensable bridge between personal cultivation and broader social responsibility.
《大學》指出："所謂齊其家在修其身者，人之其所親愛而辟焉，之其所賤惡而辟焉，之其所畏敬而辟焉，之其所哀矜而辟焉，之其所敖惰而辟焉。故好而知其惡，惡而知其美者，天下鮮矣。"這段論述深刻地揭示了齊家的難點：在家庭關係中，人最容易因情感的偏私而失去判斷的公正。對所親愛者往往只見其美而不見其惡，對所賤惡者往往只見其惡而不見其美。因此，齊家的關鍵仍在於修身——唯有自身已修、心已正，方能在家庭關係中超越情感的偏私，以公正的態度對待每一位家庭成員。
The Great Learning states: "What is meant by 'regulating the family depends on cultivating the person' is this: people are partial toward those they love and are intimate with, partial toward those they despise and dislike, partial toward those they fear and revere, partial toward those they pity and commiserate with, partial toward those they are arrogant and lazy toward. Therefore, to love someone and yet know their faults, to hate someone and yet know their merits—this is rare indeed under heaven." This passage profoundly reveals the difficulty of regulating the family: in family relationships, one is most prone to lose the impartiality of judgment due to emotional bias. Toward those one loves, one often sees only their merits and not their faults; toward those one dislikes, one often sees only their faults and not their merits. Thus, the key to regulating the family still lies in cultivating the person—only when one's person is cultivated and one's mind is rectified can one transcend emotional partiality in family relationships and treat every family member with fairness.
齊家對於成就聖賢氣象的意義，在於它使聖賢氣象從個人的修養成果轉化為可感知的人倫關係中的道德力量。當一個人在家庭中能夠做到父慈子孝、兄友弟恭、夫義婦順，其德性便不再是孤懸的內在品質，而成為在具體人倫關係中發生實際作用的力量。這種在人倫日用中自然呈現的德性力量，正是聖賢氣象的重要組成部分。程顥在家庭中的和樂氣象，朱熹在家族中的嚴謹風範，都是齊家工夫成就聖賢氣象的生動例證。
The significance of regulating the family for attaining the Sage-Like Persona lies in its transformation of the Sage-Like Persona from a personal achievement of cultivation into a moral power perceptible within human relationships. When a person can achieve parental affection and filial piety, brotherly kindness and respect, marital righteousness and compliance in the family, their virtue is no longer an isolated inner quality but a power that actually functions in concrete human relations. This moral power naturally manifested in daily human relations is precisely an important component of the Sage-Like Persona. Cheng Hao's harmonious and joyful persona in his family, and Zhu Xi's rigorous and exemplary bearing in his clan, are both vivid illustrations of how the effort of regulating the family achieves the Sage-Like Persona.
（五）治國：政治彰顯 / Governing the State: Political Manifestation
"治國"（zhiguo, 治國，治理邦國，使國家政治清明、百姓安樂）是德性由家庭向國家層面的進一步推擴。在儒家的政治哲學中，政治的根本不是權力的運作，而是道德的感化。《大學》雲："所謂治國必先齊其家者，其家不可教而能教人者，無之。"這一論述確立了儒家"德治"（dezhi, 德治，以道德教化為核心的政治治理模式）的基本原則：治國者必先在自己的家庭中踐行道德教化，方能將這種教化推廣到國家層面。
"Governing the state" (zhiguo) is the further extension of virtue from the family to the level of the state. In Confucian political philosophy, the essence of politics is not the operation of power but moral transformation. The Great Learning says: "What is meant by 'governing the state must first regulate the family' is this: there has never been a person who could not teach their own family and yet could teach others." This passage establishes the fundamental principle of Confucian "rule by virtue" (dezhi): the governor must first practice moral transformation in their own family before they can extend such transformation to the level of the state.
zhiguo：治國 — "Governing the state." The seventh step of the Eight Steps. Zhiguo means bringing good governance to one's state, characterized by moral order, social harmony, and the well-being of the people. In the Confucian tradition, governing is not primarily a matter of laws and coercion but of moral example: the ruler's personal virtue radiates outward, transforming the people through its influence. The state is thus understood as an extension of the family, and political order as an extension of familial virtue. The Sage-Like Persona at this level manifests as the moral authority and transformative power of the virtuous ruler.
朱熹在注釋《大學》"治國"章時，特別闡發了"絜矩之道"（xieju zhi dao, 絜矩之道，以推己及人為核心的政治倫理原則）。所謂"絜矩之道"，就是治國者以自身為度量的標準，推己及人："所惡於上，毋以使下；所惡於下，毋以事上；所惡於前，毋以先後；所惡於後，毋以從前；所惡於右，毋以交於左；所惡於左，毋以交於右。"這一原則的實質，是將修身所成就的公正之心推廣到政治治理之中，使政治決策皆出於對他人感受的體諒與尊重。當治國者能夠踐行絜矩之道，其政治氣象便會呈現出公正、寬厚、體恤民情的特徵——這正是聖賢氣象在政治領域的彰顯。
In his commentary on the "governing the state" chapter of The Great Learning, Zhu Xi particularly expounds the "way of the measuring square" (xieju zhi dao, 絜矩之道). The "way of the measuring square" means that the governor uses themselves as the standard of measurement, extending their own feelings to others: "What you dislike in those above, do not use in dealing with those below; what you dislike in those below, do not use in serving those above; what you dislike in those before, do not use in dealing with those behind; what you dislike in those behind, do not use in following those before; what you dislike in those on the right, do not use in dealing with those on the left; what you dislike in those on the left, do not use in dealing with those on the right." The essence of this principle is the extension of the impartial mind achieved through cultivating the person into political governance, so that political decisions all arise from empathy and respect for the feelings of others. When the governor can practice the way of the measuring square, their political persona will manifest the characteristics of impartiality, generosity, and concern for the people's welfare—this is precisely the manifestation of the Sage-Like Persona in the political realm.
xieju zhi dao：絜矩之道 — "The way of the measuring square." A core Confucian political ethic articulated in The Great Learning, meaning the principle of using oneself as the measuring standard and extending one's own feelings to others in all directions. It is a political application of the Confucian golden rule (shu, 恕, "reciprocity" or "do not do to others what you would not wish for yourself"). The "measuring square" symbolizes the impartial, consistent standard that the virtuous ruler applies to all relationships—above and below, before and behind, left and right—ensuring that governance is grounded in empathy rather than arbitrary power.
（六）平天下：普遍境域 / Bringing Peace to the World: The Universal Horizon
"平天下"（ping tianxia, 平天下，使天下太平，萬邦協和，百姓各得其所）是《大學》八條目 的終極目標，也是聖賢氣象的最高呈現。"平天下"之"平"，並非簡單的平定或征服，而是"均平"之意——使天下萬物各得其所、各遂其生，達到一種普遍的和諧與公正。《大學》在"平天下"章中提出"財聚則民散，財散則民聚"的經濟倫理原則，以及"德本財末"的價值排序，深刻地揭示了平天下的根本在於以德為本、以民為本。
"Bringing peace to the world" (ping tianxia) is the ultimate goal of the Eight Steps and the highest manifestation of the Sage-Like Persona. The "ping" in "ping tianxia" does not mean simple pacification or conquest, but "equilibrium and harmony"—enabling all things under heaven to find their proper place and fulfill their nature, achieving a universal harmony and justice. In the "bringing peace to the world" chapter, The Great Learning proposes the economic-ethical principle that "when wealth is gathered, the people scatter; when wealth is distributed, the people gather," as well as the value ordering of "virtue is the root, wealth is the branch." These profoundly reveal that the foundation of bringing peace to the world lies in taking virtue as the root and the people as the foundation.
ping tianxia：平天下 — "Bringing peace to the world" or "bringing equilibrium to all under heaven." The eighth and final step of the Eight Steps. Ping means not merely the absence of conflict but the achievement of a just, harmonious order in which all persons and communities can flourish. It represents the universal horizon of Confucian moral aspiration—the extension of virtue from the individual through family and state to the entire world. The Sage-Like Persona at this ultimate level manifests as a boundless, all-embracing moral concern that seeks the flourishing of all humanity and indeed all things.
朱熹在闡釋"平天下"時，特彆強調"絜矩之道"的終極推擴。如果說治國層面的絜矩之道還局限於一國內部的上下左右關係，那麼平天下層面的絜矩之道則要求將這種推己及人的精神推廣到天下萬邦之間。治國者不僅要體諒本國之民，還要體諒天下之人；不僅要追求一國之利，還要謀求天下之公利。這種超越了國家、民族、文化界限的普遍道德關懷，正是聖賢氣象的最高境界。它所呈現的，是一種"民吾同胞，物吾與也"（張載《西銘》語）的博大胸懷——視天下人為自己的同胞，視萬物為自己的夥伴。
In explicating "bringing peace to the world," Zhu Xi particularly emphasizes the ultimate extension of the "way of the measuring square." If the way of the measuring square at the level of governing the state is still limited to the relationships of above-below, before-behind, and left-right within one state, then at the level of bringing peace to the world it requires extending this spirit of putting oneself in another's place to all states and peoples under heaven. The governor must not only empathize with the people of their own state but with all people under heaven; they must not merely pursue the benefit of one state but seek the common good of all under heaven. This universal moral concern that transcends the boundaries of state, ethnicity, and culture is precisely the highest realm of the Sage-Like Persona. What it manifests is a boundless heart expressed in Zhang Zai's "Western Inscription" (Ximing, 西銘): "The people are my brothers and sisters, and all things are my companions"—seeing all people under heaven as one's own siblings and all things as one's own companions.
從格物致知到平天下，《大學》八條目構成了一個由內而外、由近及遠、層層遞進的完整修養體系。在這一體系中，每一步都以前一步為基礎，又為後一步創造條件；每一步都既是獨立的修養環節，又是整體聖賢氣象的有機組成部分。學者在這一次第中步步踐履，其聖賢氣象便在格物中得以明其理，在致知中得以充其知，在誠意中得以誠其意，在正心中得以正其心，在修身中得以修其身，在齊家中得以和其家，在治國中得以治其國，在平天下中得以安天下——最終成就一個從內在德性到外在事功皆臻於完滿的聖賢人格。
From investigating things and extending knowledge to bringing peace to the world, the Eight Steps of The Great Learning constitute a complete cultivation system that proceeds from inner to outer, from near to far, advancing layer by layer. In this system, each step is founded on the previous one and creates the conditions for the next; each step is both an independent link of cultivation and an organic component of the holistic Sage-Like Persona. As the learner practices step by step in this sequence, their Sage-Like Persona is clarified in its principle through investigating things, fulfilled in its knowing through extending knowledge, made sincere in its intention through making intentions sincere, rectified in its mind through rectifying the mind, cultivated in its person through cultivating the person, harmonized in its family through regulating the family, well-governed in its state through governing the state, and pacified in the world through bringing peace to the world—ultimately achieving a sage personality in which both inner virtue and outer merit have reached perfection.
五、聖賢氣象的道德境域 / The Moral Realm of the Sage-Like Persona
（一）"敬"作為貫串工夫 / Reverence as the Unifying Effort
在沿八條目次第展開修養路徑的同時，還須把握貫串於八條目始終的根本工夫——"敬"。如果說八條目是修養的"橫攝"體系，那麼"敬"便是修養的"縱貫"工夫。朱熹說："敬字工夫，乃聖門第一義，徹頭徹尾，不可頃刻間斷。"（《朱子語類》）這意味着，從格物致知到平天下的每一步，都必須以"敬"來持守，方能不致流於形式或陷入偏失。
While unfolding the cultivation path along the sequence of the Eight Steps, one must also grasp the fundamental effort that runs through all of them—"reverence" (jing). If the Eight Steps constitute the "horizontal" system of cultivation, then "reverence" is the "vertical" effort that runs through them. Zhu Xi says: "The effort of reverence is the foremost teaching of the sage's gate; from beginning to end, it must not be interrupted for a single moment" (Classified Conversations). This means that every step, from investigating things to bringing peace to the world, must be sustained through reverence, lest it degenerate into mere form or fall into bias.
"敬"的內涵，朱熹有精到的界定："敬有甚物？只如'畏'字相似。"又說："敬不是萬慮休置之謂，只是隨事專一，謹畏，不放逸爾。"（《朱子語類》）在朱熹看來，"敬"不是消極的枯靜，而是積極的、隨事專一的警覺狀態。它要求學者在應事接物的每一個當下，都保持專註、敬畏、不放逸的心態。這種心態是道德修養的根本動力——唯有居敬，格物方能真切而不浮泛，誠意方能篤實而不虛偽，修身方能持久而不鬆懈，平天下方能公正而不偏私。
Zhu Xi offers a precise definition of the meaning of "reverence": "What is reverence? It is simply similar to the word 'awe.'" He also says: "Reverence does not mean the cessation of all thoughts; it simply means being focused in whatever one does, being cautious and in awe, and not being lax" (Classified Conversations). For Zhu Xi, reverence is not passive quietism but an active, alert state of focused attention in every situation. It requires the learner to maintain a mindset of focus, awe, and diligence in every moment of handling affairs and dealing with people. This mindset is the fundamental driving force of moral cultivation—only through maintaining reverence can investigating things be genuine rather than superficial, making intentions sincere be steadfast rather than hypocritical, cultivating the person be enduring rather than intermittent, and bringing peace to the world be impartial rather than self-serving.
在成就聖賢氣象的過程中，"敬"的作用體現為一種"常惺惺法"——使心靈常保清醒、警覺、不昏昧的狀態。當學者能夠在日用常行中持續保持這種敬的心態，其言行舉止便會自然趨於中節，其氣象便會自然趨於端正。程顥的"如坐春風"氣象，看似和樂從容，其背後正是"敬"的工夫在支撐——唯有內心常存敬畏，外在的和樂才不會流於輕浮。朱熹的嚴謹氣象，更是"敬"的工夫的直接體現。可以說，"敬"是聖賢氣象的靈魂——沒有"敬"的貫串，八條目便只是一套外在的行為規範，而無法轉化為內在的人格成就。
In the process of attaining the Sage-Like Persona, the function of "reverence" manifests as a "method of constant wakefulness" (chang xingxing fa, 常惺惺法)—keeping the mind in a state of constant clarity, alertness, and lucidity. When the learner can sustain this mindset of reverence in daily life, their words and actions will naturally tend toward what is appropriate, and their persona will naturally tend toward rectitude. Cheng Hao's persona of "sitting in the spring breeze," seemingly gentle and unhurried, is in fact supported by the effort of reverence—only when the heart constantly holds reverence can outward harmony and joy not degenerate into frivolity. Zhu Xi's rigorous persona is an even more direct embodiment of the effort of reverence. One may say that reverence is the soul of the Sage-Like Persona—without the unifying thread of reverence, the Eight Steps would be merely a set of external behavioral norms, unable to be transformed into inner personal achievement.
（二）知行相須 / The Mutual Dependence of Knowledge and Practice
聖賢氣象的成就，還須在"知"與"行"的辯證關係中理解。朱熹提出"知行相須"的命題，深刻地揭示了道德認知與道德實踐之間的內在關聯。他說："知與行，工夫須着併到。知之愈明，則行之愈篤；行之愈篤，則知之益明。"（《朱子語類》）在朱熹看來，知與行不是先後割裂的兩個階段，而是互相依賴、互相促進的統一過程。
The attainment of the Sage-Like Persona must also be understood within the dialectical relationship between "knowledge" (zhi, 知) and "practice" (xing, 行). Zhu Xi proposed the proposition that "knowledge and practice are mutually dependent" (zhixing xiangxu), profoundly revealing the inner connection between moral understanding and moral practice. He says: "In knowledge and practice, the effort must advance together. The clearer the knowledge, the more steadfast the practice; the more steadfast the practice, the clearer the knowledge" (Classified Conversations). For Zhu Xi, knowledge and practice are not two separate stages divided by sequence, but a unified process of mutual dependence and mutual enhancement.
zhixing xiangxu：知行相須 — "The mutual dependence of knowledge and practice." A core epistemological and ethical thesis in Zhu Xi's thought, holding that moral knowledge and moral practice are inseparable, mutually reinforcing dimensions of cultivation. Knowledge provides the clarity and direction for practice, while practice deepens and verifies knowledge. Neither can be complete without the other. This stands in contrast to both intellectualism (prioritizing knowledge to the neglect of practice) and voluntarism (prioritizing practice to the neglect of understanding), affirming that the Sage-Like Persona emerges only from the integrated, simultaneous cultivation of both.
就八條目而言，格物致知屬於"知"的層面，誠意正心修身屬於"行"的內在層面，齊家治國平天下屬於"行"的外在層面。然而，這種劃分只是相對的——在格物致知中已有"行"的參與（以行動的意向去即物窮理），在修齊治平中亦有"知"的指導（以對理的認知來規範行為）。知與行始終交織在一起，共同推動着聖賢氣象的成就。如果學者只知不行，其知便只是"空知"，無法轉化為真實的德性；如果學者只行不知，其行便只是"冥行"，可能偏離道德的正途。唯有知行並進，方能使聖賢氣象既有明覺的理性之光，又有篤實的實踐之力。
With regard to the Eight Steps, investigating things and extending knowledge belong to the level of "knowing"; making intentions sincere, rectifying the mind, and cultivating the person belong to the inner level of "practicing"; and regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world belong to the outer level of "practicing." Yet this division is only relative—within investigating things and extending knowledge there is already the participation of "practice" (approaching things to exhaust their principle with the intention of action), and within cultivating, regulating, governing, and pacifying there is also the guidance of "knowing" (using the understanding of principle to regulate conduct). Knowledge and practice are always interwoven, jointly advancing the attainment of the Sage-Like Persona. If the learner only knows without practicing, their knowledge is merely "empty knowledge" and cannot be transformed into genuine virtue; if they only practice without knowing, their practice is merely "blind practice" and may deviate from the moral path. Only through the simultaneous advancement of knowledge and practice can the Sage-Like Persona possess both the illuminating light of rational clarity and the steadfast power of concrete practice.
（三）從修身到平天下的貫通 / The Continuity from Self-Cultivation to World Peace
聖賢氣象的道德境域，最終體現為從修身到平天下的貫通。在《大學》八條目 的體系中，修身是"本"，平天下是"末"；但這並非說平天下不重要，而是說平天下必須以修身為根本前提。朱熹在《大學章句序》中指出："夫以學校之設，其廣如此，而其所以為教，則皆不過因人之倫，明其義理，以復其性之本然，而非有所為於外也。"這意味着，從個人的德性修養到天下的太平秩序，本質上是同一個"明義理、複本性"的過程在不同層面的展開。
The moral realm of the Sage-Like Persona ultimately manifests as the continuity from self-cultivation to world peace. In the system of the Eight Steps, cultivating the person is the "root" (ben, 本) and bringing peace to the world is the "branch" (mo, 末); but this does not mean that bringing peace to the world is unimportant—rather, it means that world peace must take self-cultivation as its fundamental precondition. In his preface to the Commentary on The Great Learning, Zhu Xi points out: "The establishment of schools was so extensive, yet what they taught was none other than clarifying the moral principles inherent in human relationships, so as to restore the original nature of one's being—not adding anything from without." This means that from personal moral cultivation to the peaceful order of all under heaven, it is essentially the same process of "clarifying moral principles and restoring original nature" unfolding at different levels.
這種貫通的意義在於：聖賢氣象不是一種私人性的道德境界，而是具有普遍的社會與政治指向的人格成就。一個真正成就了聖賢氣象的人，必然會將其德性推擴到家庭、國家、天下，在人倫日用、政治實踐、天下關懷中呈現其道德力量。反之，如果一個人聲稱成就了聖賢氣象，卻不能在家庭中盡孝悌，在國家中盡忠義，在天下中盡關懷，那麼其所謂"聖賢氣象"便只是自欺欺人的空談。正是在這個意義上，《大學》八條目為"聖賢氣象"提供了可驗證的標準——不僅要看其內在的德性修養，更要看其外在的事功成就；不僅要看其獨善其身，更要看其兼善天下。
The significance of this continuity lies in this: the Sage-Like Persona is not a private moral realm, but a personal achievement with universal social and political orientation. A person who has truly attained the Sage-Like Persona will inevitably extend their virtue to the family, the state, and all under heaven, manifesting their moral power in daily human relations, political practice, and concern for the world. Conversely, if a person claims to have attained the Sage-Like Persona yet cannot fulfill filial piety and brotherly respect in the family, loyalty and righteousness in the state, and concern for all under heaven, then their so-called "Sage-Like Persona" is nothing but self-deceiving empty talk. It is in this sense that the Eight Steps of The Great Learning provide a verifiable standard for the Sage-Like Persona—one must look not only at inner moral cultivation but also at outer merit and achievement; not only at the cultivation of one's own person but also at the benefiting of all under heaven.
六、當代價值與全球意義 / Contemporary Value and Global Significance
（一）現代社會中的道德修養 / Moral Cultivation in Modern Society
在當代社會，工具理性的膨脹與價值理性的萎縮已成為一個普遍的文化癥候。人們在追求效率、功利、物質滿足的過程中，往往忽視了對內在德性的修養與人格的完善。程朱理學的"聖賢氣象"思想，為現代人提供了一種重要的思想資源：它提醒我們，人的完善不僅在於外在的成就與佔有，更在於內在的德性與氣象。一個人即使擁有豐富的知識、顯赫的地位、巨大的財富，如果缺乏內在的德性修養，其人格氣象便會顯得貧乏、浮躁、甚至可鄙。反之，一個人即使身處平凡的崗位，只要持續地進行道德修養，其人格便會呈現出令人敬重的聖賢氣象。
In contemporary society, the expansion of instrumental rationality and the atrophy of value rationality have become a widespread cultural symptom. In the pursuit of efficiency, utility, and material satisfaction, people often neglect the cultivation of inner virtue and the perfection of character. The Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucian idea of the Sage-Like Persona offers an important intellectual resource for modern people: it reminds us that human perfection lies not only in external achievement and possession, but more profoundly in inner virtue and personal bearing. A person may possess abundant knowledge, eminent status, and great wealth, yet if they lack inner moral cultivation, their personal bearing will appear impoverished, restless, or even contemptible. Conversely, a person in an ordinary position, so long as they persist in moral cultivation, will manifest a Sage-Like Persona that commands respect.
更為重要的是，"聖賢氣象"所蘊含的修養路徑——《大學》八條目——為現代人提供了一套可操作的道德修養方法。它不要求人們脫離日常生活去追求玄遠的境界，而是要求人們在格物致知中明理，在誠意正心中立德，在修身中完善人格，在齊家治國平天下中推擴德性。這種"極高明而道中庸"（《中庸》語）的修養智慧，恰恰能夠彌補現代社會中道德教育空泛化、外在化的缺陷——它將道德修養落實到日用常行的每一個細節之中，使道德不再是高懸的理想，而是可踐履、可積累、可驗證的生命實踐。
More importantly, the cultivation path embedded in the Sage-Like Persona—the Eight Steps of The Great Learning—provides modern people with an operable method of moral cultivation. It does not require people to abandon daily life in pursuit of abstruse realms; rather, it asks them to clarify principle through investigating things and extending knowledge, to establish virtue through making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind, to perfect character through cultivating the person, and to extend virtue through regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. This cultivation wisdom of "reaching the highest enlightenment while following the ordinary path" (Zhongyong, 中庸, the Doctrine of the Mean) can precisely remedy the deficiencies of vague, externalized moral education in modern society—it grounds moral cultivation in every detail of daily life, making morality no longer a lofty ideal but a life-praxis that can be practiced, accumulated, and verified.
（二）聖賢氣象作為全球倫理資源 / The Sage-Like Persona as a Resource for Global Ethics
在全球化的語境中，不同文明之間的對話與衝突已成為人類面臨的重大課題。西方啟蒙運動以來所形成的普遍主義倫理話語，雖然為全球倫理的建構提供了重要資源，但其以個體權利為核心、以理性自律為基礎的理論範式，在面對文明差異與文化多樣性時，往往顯得力不從心。程朱理學的"聖賢氣象"思想，為全球倫理的建構提供了一種來自中國哲學的獨特視角。
In the context of globalization, dialogue and conflict among civilizations have become major challenges facing humanity. The universalist ethical discourse formed since the Western Enlightenment, while providing important resources for the construction of global ethics, often appears inadequate when confronted with civilizational difference and cultural diversity, due to its theoretical paradigm centered on individual rights and based on rational autonomy. The Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucian idea of the Sage-Like Persona offers a distinctive perspective from Chinese philosophy for the construction of global ethics.
"聖賢氣象"的核心，是一種以人格修養為基礎、以人倫關係為紐帶、以天下關懷為指向的道德理想。它不訴諸抽象的普遍法則，而是通過具體的人格典範來感召和轉化人；它不強調個體權利的優先性，而是注重個體在人倫關係中的責任與義務；它不追求文明的同質化，而是主張在"和而不同"（《論語·子路》）的原則下實現文明間的和諧共處。這種道德理想對於當今世界面臨的文明衝突、生態危機、貧富分化等全球性問題，具有重要的啟示意義——它提醒我們，全球倫理的建構不能僅靠制度與規則的設計，更需要有聖賢氣象的人格典範來引領和感召。
The core of the Sage-Like Persona is a moral ideal grounded in personal cultivation, connected through human relationships, and oriented toward concern for all under heaven. It does not appeal to abstract universal laws but inspires and transforms people through concrete personal exemplars; it does not emphasize the priority of individual rights but focuses on the responsibilities and obligations of individuals within human relationships; it does not pursue the homogenization of civilizations but advocates harmonious coexistence among civilizations under the principle of "harmony without uniformity" (Analects 13.23). This moral ideal has important implications for the global problems facing the world today—civilizational conflict, ecological crisis, and the gap between rich and poor. It reminds us that the construction of global ethics cannot rely solely on the design of institutions and rules, but more importantly requires the leadership and inspiration of personal exemplars embodying the Sage-Like Persona.
（三）跨文化對話中的中國文化主體性 / Chinese Cultural Subjectivity in Cross-Cultural Dialogue
在跨文化對話中，如何堅守中國文化的主體性，同時又能與其他文明進行有效的交流與互鑒，是一個至關重要的問題。"聖賢氣象"的研究與傳播，為我們提供了一個有益的範例。一方面，"聖賢氣象"深深植根於中國哲學的義理土壤——它以"理""氣""心""性"等核心範疇為基礎，以《大學》八條目為修養框架，以"敬"的工夫為貫串線索，構成了一個自足的、具有內在邏輯的思想體系。這一體系不需要依附於西方哲學的框架來獲得合法性，它本身就是人類哲學智慧的重要組成部分。
In cross-cultural dialogue, how to maintain the subjectivity of Chinese culture while engaging in effective exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations is a crucial question. The study and dissemination of the Sage-Like Persona provides a helpful example. On the one hand, the Sage-Like Persona is deeply rooted in the conceptual soil of Chinese philosophy—it is grounded in core categories such as "Principle" (li), "psycho-physical force" (qi), "mind-heart" (xin), and "nature" (xing); it takes the Eight Steps of The Great Learning as its cultivation framework; and it uses the effort of "reverence" (jing) as its unifying thread. Together these constitute a self-sufficient intellectual system with its own internal logic. This system does not need to rely on the framework of Western philosophy to gain legitimacy; it is itself an important component of humanity's philosophical wisdom.
另一方面，"聖賢氣象"所表達的道德理想——對人格完善的追求、對人倫和諧的重視、對天下太平的關懷——具有超越特定文化的普遍意義。通過以國際學界可理解的語言來闡釋這一思想，我們既可以向世界展示中國哲學的獨特智慧，又可以為人類共同面臨的道德問題貢獻中國方案。這種"以我為主、面向世界"的文化態度，正是中國文化主體性在當代的恰當體現——它既不是文化保守主義的自我封閉，也不是文化虛無主義的自我消解，而是在堅守中華文化本位的前提下，以開放包容的姿態參與全球文明對話，為人類文明的多樣性發展貢獻中國智慧與中國力量。
On the other hand, the moral ideal expressed by the Sage-Like Persona—the pursuit of personal perfection, the value placed on harmonious human relations, the concern for world peace—possesses universal significance that transcends any particular culture. By explicating this idea in a language accessible to the international scholarly community, we can both showcase the distinctive wisdom of Chinese philosophy to the world and contribute Chinese approaches to the moral problems confronting humanity as a whole. This cultural attitude of "rooted in ourselves, oriented toward the world" is precisely the appropriate embodiment of Chinese cultural subjectivity in the contemporary era—it is neither the self-enclosure of cultural conservatism nor the self-dissolution of cultural nihilism, but rather, while firmly maintaining the foundational position of Chinese culture, participating in global civilizational dialogue with an open and inclusive stance, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese strength to the diverse development of human civilization.
以"學為聖賢"為錨點，沿《大學》八條目次第，系統闡釋了程朱理學"聖賢氣象"的義理內涵、修養路徑與當代價值。通過對二程"觀聖賢氣象"首倡、朱熹體系化拓展、錢穆"實學"重構的思想溯源，本文揭示了"聖賢氣象"從審美性讚歎到實踐性修養的理論演進；通過對"氣與象""內德與外儀""活的道德範式"三個維度的分析，本文回答了"何以是聖賢氣象"的問題——聖賢氣象是內在德性通過氣的升華而自然呈現的整體人格風貌，是內德與外儀的完滿統一，是具有普遍典範意義的活的道德人格。
Taking "learning to be a sage" as its anchor and following the sequence of the Eight Steps of The Great Learning, this paper has systematically explicated the conceptual meaning, cultivation path, and contemporary value of the "Sage-Like Persona" in Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism. Through tracing the intellectual lineage from the Cheng brothers' initiation of "observing the Sage-Like Persona," through Zhu Xi's systematic expansion, to Qian Mu's reconstruction through "practical learning," this paper has revealed the theoretical evolution of the Sage-Like Persona from aesthetic admiration to practical cultivation. Through analysis of three dimensions—"qi and xiang," "inner virtue and outward deportment," and "the living moral paradigm"—this paper has answered the question "What does it mean to speak of the Sage-Like Persona?": it is the integrated personal bearing that naturally manifests from inner virtue through the sublimation of qi; it is the perfect unity of inner virtue and outward deportment; and it is a living moral personality of universal exemplary significance.
通過對《大學》八條目修養路徑的逐一解析，本文回答了"如何成就聖賢氣象"的問題——聖賢氣象的成就不是一蹴而就的頓悟，而是在格物致知中明理、在誠意正心中立德、在修身中完善人格、在齊家治國平天下中推擴德性的漸進過程。在這一過程中，"敬"的工夫貫串始終，知行相須提供了方法論的保障，從修身到平天下的貫通則確保了聖賢氣象的普遍指向。這一修養路徑既具有深刻的理論系統性，又具有切實的實踐可操作性，為現代人的道德修養提供了來自中國哲學的智慧資源。
Through the step-by-step analysis of the cultivation path of the Eight Steps, this paper has answered the question "How does one attain the Sage-Like Persona?": its attainment is not a sudden enlightenment achieved in one stroke, but a gradual process of clarifying principle through investigating things and extending knowledge, establishing virtue through making intentions sincere and rectifying the mind, perfecting character through cultivating the person, and extending virtue through regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. In this process, the effort of "reverence" runs through from beginning to end; the mutual dependence of knowledge and practice provides methodological assurance; and the continuity from self-cultivation to world peace ensures the universal orientation of the Sage-Like Persona. This cultivation path possesses both profound theoretical systematicity and concrete practical operability, offering wisdom from Chinese philosophy for the moral cultivation of modern people.
在當代全球化與跨文化對話的語境中，"聖賢氣象"的思想價值不僅在於它為中國人的道德修養提供了精神指引，更在於它為全球倫理的建構與人類文明的對話貢獻了獨特的中國智慧。堅守中國文化的主體性，以開放包容的姿態面向世界，讓"聖賢氣象"所蘊含的道德理想在新的時代條件下煥發生機，這既是對程朱理學優秀傳統的創造性繼承，也是中國哲學對人類文明應有的貢獻。正如張載所言："為天地立心，為生民立命，為往聖繼絕學，為萬世開太平。"（《張子全書·近思錄拾遺》）成就聖賢氣象，正是這一宏大抱負在個體人格中的落實與呈現。
In the contemporary context of globalization and cross-cultural dialogue, the intellectual value of the Sage-Like Persona lies not only in its spiritual guidance for the moral cultivation of Chinese people, but more importantly in its contribution of distinctive Chinese wisdom to the construction of global ethics and the dialogue of human civilizations. Maintaining the subjectivity of Chinese culture while facing the world with an open and inclusive stance, and allowing the moral ideal embedded in the Sage-Like Persona to radiate new vitality under contemporary conditions—this is both a creative inheritance of the fine tradition of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism and the contribution that Chinese philosophy should make to human civilization. As Zhang Zai (張載, the Northern Song Neo-Confucian pioneer) famously declared: "To establish the heart-mind for heaven and earth, to establish the destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to inaugurate great peace for ten thousand generations" (Collected Works of Master Zhang). Attaining the Sage-Like Persona is precisely the realization and manifestation of this grand aspiration in the individual personality.
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術語注釋表 / Glossary of Key Terms
shengxian qixiang：聖賢氣象 — The Sage-Like Persona—the integrated moral bearing, spiritual aura, and personal demeanor that naturally manifest from a person whose inner virtue has been fully cultivated through sustained practice.
Song-Ming Lixue：宋明理學 — Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism—the Confucian philosophical tradition that flourished from the Song through the Ming dynasty, centered on the concept of Principle (li).
Ercheng：二程 — The Cheng brothers—Cheng Hao (1032–1085) and Cheng Yi (1033–1107), the Northern Song thinkers who jointly founded the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism.
guan shengxian qixiang：觀聖賢氣象 — Observing the Sage-Like Persona—a cultivation method of contemplating and internalizing the moral demeanor of sages as recorded in texts and embodied in exemplary lives.
Zhu Xi：朱熹 — Zhu Xi (1130–1200), the Southern Song synthesizer of Neo-Confucianism whose commentaries on the Four Books became the standard interpretation for the imperial examinations.
Daxue：大學 — The Great Learning—one of the Confucian Four Books, articulating the Three Cardinal Guidelines and Eight Steps of moral and political cultivation.
ba tiaomu：八條目 — The Eight Steps—the sequential cultivation path: investigating things, extending knowledge, making intentions sincere, rectifying the mind, cultivating the person, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.
xue wei shengxian：學為聖賢 — Learning to be a sage—the fundamental Confucian aim of moral self-cultivation, taking the sage as the model and goal of personal transformation.
shixue：實學 — Practical learning—the concrete, practice-oriented dimension of Zhu Xi's thought, emphasizing real principles, real mind, real effort, and real effects.
gongfu：工夫 — Cultivation effort—the sustained, deliberate practice of moral self-transformation, encompassing both inner mental discipline and outward conduct.
Qian Mu：錢穆 — Qian Mu (1895–1990), the eminent twentieth-century historian of Chinese thought whose New Studies on Zhu Xi reconstructed Zhu Xi's philosophy through practical learning.
jing：敬 — Reverence—the central Neo-Confucian cultivation attitude of focused awe, moral seriousness, and sustained attentiveness, the first principle of the sage's gate.
li：理 — Principle—the central metaphysical concept in Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, the immanent yet transcendent order, structure, and normative standard governing all things.
qi：氣 — Psycho-physical vital force—the dynamic, constitutive energy that gives concrete form to all things, shaping temperament and capable of transformation through cultivation.
xiang：象 — Manifest image—the outward, perceptible manifestation of an inner reality; the visible form that inner moral virtue takes in a cultivated person.
ren：仁 — Benevolence/humaneness—the highest Confucian moral virtue, encompassing love, creative vitality, and impartial care, identified with the life-giving mind of heaven and earth.
gewu：格物 — Investigating things—the first of the Eight Steps, approaching concrete things to exhaust the principle inherent in them through cumulative moral-epistemological engagement.
zhizhi：致知 — Extending knowledge—the second of the Eight Steps, activating and fulfilling the mind's innate capacity for moral understanding through the investigation of things.
chengyi：誠意 — Making intentions sincere—the third of the Eight Steps, rendering one's inner will authentic and free from self-deception, so that moral commitment is wholehearted.
zhengxin：正心 — Rectifying the mind—the fourth of the Eight Steps, keeping the mind-heart balanced and clear, not distorted by the sway of particular emotions.
xiushen：修身 — Cultivating the person—the fifth and central step, comprehensive cultivation of mind, body, character, and conduct so that all dimensions conform to moral principle.
qijia：齊家 — Regulating the family—the sixth step, bringing order and harmony to one's family as the first sphere of extending moral virtue beyond the self.
zhiguo：治國 — Governing the state—the seventh step, bringing moral order and the people's well-being to one's state through the ruler's virtuous example.
ping tianxia：平天下 — Bringing peace to the world—the eighth and ultimate step, achieving a just, harmonious universal order in which all peoples and things flourish.
zhixing xiangxu：知行相須 — The mutual dependence of knowledge and practice—Zhu Xi's thesis that moral understanding and moral practice are inseparable, mutually reinforcing dimensions of cultivation.
xieju zhi dao：絜矩之道 — The way of the measuring square—the Confucian political ethic of using oneself as the standard and extending one's own feelings to others in all directions.
hanyang：涵養 — Nurturing—the practice of cultivating and nourishing inner virtue through sustained reverence and attentiveness.
xingcha：省察 — Self-examination—the practice of introspectively examining one's thoughts, intentions, and conduct to identify and correct moral deficiencies.
junzi：君子 — Exemplary person—the Confucian ideal of the morally cultivated person, characterized by the unity of inner virtue and outward refinement.
tianli：天理 — Heavenly Principle—the universal moral order and normative standard that governs both cosmos and human life.
daotong：道統 — The orthodox lineage of the Way—the Confucian conception of a continuous transmission of the true Way from the ancient sages through the Neo-Confucian masters.
Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism
Zhu Xi Studies
Moral Cultivation
The Great Learning (Daxue)
Chinese Philosophy
Sage-Like Persona (圣贤气象)
Eight Steps (八条目)
Practical Learning (实学)
Song-Ming Lixue
Confucian Ethics
Self-Cultivation
Qian Mu
Cheng Brothers
圣贤气象；程朱理学；《大学》八条目；学为圣贤；实学；道德修养Sage-Like Persona; Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism; Eight Steps of The Great Learning; learning to be a sage; practical learning; moral cultivation
