朱熹 “修德為本” 思想的義理溯源、邏輯建構與道德合理性

—— 基於二程 “入德之門” 論述及《大學》八條目次第的貫通性研究

Zhu Xi’s Thought of “Cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation”: Tracing Its Doctrinal Origins, Logical Construction, and Justification of Moral Legitimacy

—A Cohesive Study Based on the Cheng Brothers’ Thesis of “The gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood for Beginners” and the Sequence of the Eight Items in the Great Learning

在宋代理學重構儒家倫理、重整社會價值秩序的思想浪潮中，朱熹作為理學集大成者，將先秦儒家的修身傳統提升為貫通宇宙、心性、政治與日常實踐的根本性原則，系統確立起以 “修德為本” 為核心的德性倫理體系。這一思想並非憑空創立，而是對二程理學遺產的直接繼承，對《大學》《論語》《孟子》等儒家經典的創造性詮釋，以及對當時佛道倫理挑戰的針對性回應。

In the intellectual tide of Song dynasty Neo-Confucianism’s reconstruction of Confucian ethics and the reordering of social values, Zhu Xi, as the great synthesizer of the tradition, elevated the pre-Qin Confucian tradition of self-cultivation into a fundamental principle connecting cosmology, mind-and-nature, politics, and daily practice. He systematically established a virtue-centered ethical system with “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” at its core. This thought did not emerge from a vacuum; rather, it directly inherited the intellectual legacy of the Cheng brothers (Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi), creatively reinterpreted Confucian classics such as the Great Learning, the Analects, and the Mencius, and provided a targeted response to the ethical challenges posed by Buddhism and Daoism at the time.

以思想史的縱向溯源、義理論的橫向分層、實踐論的系統串聯，打通概念界定、淵源梳理、邏輯建構、合理性論證與價值闡發的全鏈條，完整呈現朱熹如何承接二程的入德之思，通過重新詮釋《大學》“三綱領八條目” 的系統架構，將 “修德” 從普通的道德修養要求，論證為上達天理、下開人倫、貫通內聖外王的倫理根本與價值本源，還原這一理學德性思想的圓融體系與完整邏輯。

Through a longitudinal tracing of intellectual history, a horizontal layering of doctrinal theory, and a systematic threading of practical theory, it will connect the entire chain of concept definition, origin tracing, logical construction, justification, and value elucidation. It will fully demonstrate how Zhu Xi, inheriting the Cheng brothers’reflections on entering virtue and reinterpreting the systematic framework of the Great Learning’s “three guiding principles and eight items,” elevated “cultivating virtue” from a common moral requirement to the ethical foundation and source of value that reaches up to heavenly principle, extends down to human relations, and links inner sagehood with outer kingship, thereby restoring the complete logic and harmonious system of this Neo-Confucian virtue-based thought.

一、思想溯源：二程 “入德之門” 的經典奠基與朱熹的理學承接

1. Intellectual Origins: The Cheng Brothers’ Classic Foundation of “The gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood” and Zhu Xi’s Neo-Confucian Continuation

要準確理解朱熹 “修德為本” 思想的理論起點，必須先錨定二程對《大學》文本的學術定位，這是程朱一系討論成德之學、修養工夫的共同思想前提。在《大學》的經典接受史上，唐代以前它不過是《禮記》中一篇普通的禮學文獻，並未被視為儒家道德修養的核心入門典籍；直到中唐韓愈為闢佛道而重建儒家道統，在《原道》中援引《大學》正心誠意至治國平天下的完整邏輯，才首次將其內在的 “修己治人” 貫通思想發掘出來，為其後續經典化埋下伏筆。真正將《大學》確立為儒家德性修養核心經典的，正是北宋理學家程顥、程頤兄弟 —— 程頤以 “初學入德之門” 作為《大學》的根本定位，這一斷語深刻重塑了後世儒家為學入德的進路，也成為朱熹建構 “修德為本” 思想的直接學術前提。

To accurately understand the theoretical starting point of Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation,” it is first necessary to anchor the Cheng brothers’ academic positioning of the Great Learning text. This positioning constitutes the shared intellectual premise for the Cheng-Zhu school’s discussion of the learning of achieving virtue and the work of self-cultivation. In the reception history of the Great Learning, prior to the Tang dynasty it was merely an ordinary ritual text within the Book of Rites and was not regarded as a core introductory classic for Confucian moral cultivation. It was not until the mid-Tang, when Han Yu sought to counter Buddhism and Daoism by reconstructing the Confucian orthodoxy, that he cited the complete logic of the Great Learning—from rectifying the mind and making the intentions sincere to governing the state and pacifying the world—in his “Inquiry into the Way” (Yuan Dao). This was the first time the text’s inherent integrative thought of “cultivating oneself and ordering others” was uncovered, laying the groundwork for its subsequent canonization. The true establishment of the Great Learning as a core classic of Confucian virtue cultivation, however, was the work of the Northern Song Neo-Confucians Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi. It was Cheng Yi who defined the Great Learning as “the gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood for beginners” (chuxue rude zhi men). This judgment profoundly reshaped the later Confucian approach to learning and entering virtue and became the direct academic premise for Zhu Xi’s construction of the “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” thought.

所謂 “初學入德之門”，包含着兩層極為關鍵的義理內涵：其一，《大學》是道德初學者進入道德生命境界的唯一可行門徑，是區分自然生命與道德生命的關鍵分水嶺；其二，《大學》本身擁有一套完整、有序的修養次第，能夠引導學者從基礎的認知工夫入手，逐步深入德性內核，最終完成道德人格的完整塑造。二程兄弟並不滿足於《禮記》中的《大學》古本原貌，而是基於自己的理學義理，對古本文本進行了重新編排，隱然區分出 “經”“傳” 二分的結構，將《大學》的綱領條目與具體闡釋內容一一對應，徹底強化了文本的體系性與邏輯性，也為後續朱熹進一步改造《大學》、建構完整修養邏輯奠定了重要基礎。

The designation “the gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood for beginners” contains two crucial layers of doctrinal meaning. First, the Great Learning is the sole viable gateway for moral beginners to enter the realm of moral life, serving as the critical watershed that distinguishes natural life from moral life. Second, the Great Learning itself possesses a complete and orderly sequence of self-cultivation that can guide learners from basic cognitive work, step by step into the inner core of virtue, and ultimately complete the formation of a moral personality. The Cheng brothers were not content with the original ancient version of the Great Learning as found in the Book of Rites; instead, based on their own Neo-Confucian doctrines, they re-arranged the ancient text, implicitly distinguishing a structure divided into “classic” (經jing) and “commentary” (傳zhuan). By correlating the guiding principles and items of the Great Learning with their specific exegeses, they thoroughly reinforced the text’s systematic coherence and logic, thereby laying a crucial foundation for Zhu Xi’s subsequent further reformulation of the text and construction of a complete self-cultivation logic.

朱熹終身服膺二程的學術判斷，完全認可《大學》作為 “入德之門” 的經典地位，並在此基礎上進一步完成了理論深化與體系重構。朱熹在《大學章句序》中，明確區分了 “小學” 與 “大學” 兩個前後銜接、遞進有序的為學階段：人生八歲時，王公貴族到普通百姓的子弟，都會進入小學，學習灑掃、應對、進退的日常禮儀，以及禮樂、射御、書數等基礎文化技能；到十五歲以後，資質優異的子弟進入大學，學習窮究事理、修正心性、修養自身、治理他人的根本學問。在這一階段劃分中，“小學” 是基礎的行為習慣培養，核心是 “涵養基本”；“大學” 則是成德之學的正式開啟，核心是 “明其理，修其身”，而《大學》文本恰恰是承接小學基礎、引導學者正式入德的關鍵門徑。

Throughout his life, Zhu Xi wholeheartedly adhered to the Cheng brothers’ scholarly judgment and fully endorsed the status of the Great Learning as the “gate of entering virtue.” Building on this, he further deepened the theory and reconstructed the system. In his “Preface to the Commentary on the Great Learning” (大學章句.序Daxue Zhangju Xu), Zhu Xi explicitly distinguished between the “elementary learning” (小學xiaoxue) and the “great learning” (大學daxue), two stages of learning that are connected and progressively ordered: at the age of eight, the children of everyone from princes and dukes down to commoners would enter elementary learning, where they were instructed in the daily rituals of sprinkling and sweeping, responding to others, and advancing and retiring, as well as basic cultural skills such as rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. After the age of fifteen, those of outstanding talent would enter great learning, where they were taught the fundamental knowledge of exhaustively investigating the principles of things, rectifying the mind-and-heart, cultivating their persons, and governing others. Within this staged division, “elementary learning” is the cultivation of basic behavioral habits, centered on “preserving and nourishing the fundamental,” while “great learning” is the formal commencement of the learning of achieving virtue, centered on “understanding its principles and cultivating one’s person.” The Great Learning text, accordingly, is the crucial gateway that connects the foundation of elementary learning and guides learners to formally enter virtue.

與二程相比，朱熹對《大學》的義理邏輯挖掘更為深入，文本整合也更為系統。他在二程改本的基礎上，進一步調整文本舊次、補綴前人未及闡發的釋義闕文，最終形成了《大學章句》這一流傳最廣、影響最深的權威版本；在這個版本中，他將《大學》全文區分為 “經” 一章和 “傳” 十章：“經” 是孔子所言、曾子記述的全篇總綱，“傳” 則是曾子及其門人對 “經” 文內容的逐句展開和詳細闡釋。更重要的是，朱熹將《大學》的核心價值，與儒家 “內聖外王” 的終極追求完全綁定，明確指出《大學》的整個架構，本質上是一套由 “修己” 通向 “安人” 的完整道德實踐方案：“三綱領” 是這套方案的總目標，“八條目” 則是實現目標的具體階梯，而這一整套方案的核心樞紐，正是 “修身”—— 也就是修德 —— 這一根本原則。

Compared with the Cheng brothers, Zhu Xi’s excavation of the Great Learning’s doctrinal logic was more profound, and his textual integration more systematic. Building upon the Cheng brothers’ revised version, he further adjusted the old sequence of the text and supplemented gaps in interpretation that predecessors had not addressed, ultimately producing the Commentary on the Great Learning (Daxue Zhangju), the most widely circulated and profoundly influential authoritative version. In this version, he divided the entire text into one chapter of “classic” and ten chapters of “commentary”: the “classic” is the general outline of the whole text, spoken by Confucius and recorded by Zengzi; the “commentary” is the sentence-by-sentence elaboration and detailed explanation of the content of the “classic” by Zengzi and his disciples. More importantly, Zhu Xi completely bound the core value of the Great Learning to the ultimate Confucian pursuit of “inner sagehood and outer kingship,” explicitly pointing out that the entire architecture of the Great Learning is essentially a complete moral practice plan leading from “cultivating oneself” to “bringing peace to others”: the “three guiding principles” are the general goals of this plan, and the “eight items” are the specific steps to achieve these goals. The central hub of this entire set of plans is precisely “self-cultivation”—that is, cultivating virtue—as the fundamental principle.

在承接二程 “入德之門” 論述的過程中，朱熹也完成了對這一命題的理學轉化：二程更多是從為學入門的通俗維度定義《大學》的基礎價值，朱熹則將其與自己的理氣論、心性論深度綁定，將 “入德” 這一簡單的修養起始行為，轉化為一套上達天理、下貫人倫的完整學術體系。在他看來，二程之所以將《大學》定為入德之門，本質是因為這部書的內容 “外有以極其規模之大，而內有以盡其節目之詳”，既搭建了由個人到天下的完整實踐框架，又細化了由認知到實踐的全部修養細節；而這個龐大框架的核心支點，正是 “修德” 這一不可動搖的根本原則。從這一意義上說，二程的 “入德之門” 論述，是朱熹 “修德為本” 思想的邏輯原點；而朱熹對《大學》的系統性詮釋，正是將這一原點論述，擴展為覆蓋本體、工夫、政治、日用的完整德性倫理體系。

In the process of inheriting the Cheng brothers’ discourse on the “gate of entering virtue,” Zhu Xi also completed a Neo-Confucian transformation of this proposition. While the Cheng brothers defined the fundamental value of the Great Learning more from the practical dimension of a beginner’s gateway to learning, Zhu Xi deeply integrated it with his own theories of principle (理li) and vital force (氣qi), and mind-and-nature, transforming “entering virtue” from a simple initial act of cultivation into a complete academic system that reaches up to heavenly principle and extends down to human relations. In his view, the essential reason the Cheng brothers designated the Great Learning as the gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood is that the content of this book “outwardly has the capacity to realize the greatness of its scale, and inwardly has the completeness of its detailed items.” It both establishes a complete practical framework extending from the individual to the world and details every cultivation step from cognition to practice. The core fulcrum of this vast framework is precisely the unshakable fundamental principle of “cultivating virtue.” In this sense, the Cheng brothers’ thesis of “the gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood” is the logical origin of Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation”; and Zhu Xi’s systematic interpretation of the Great Learning is precisely the expansion of this original thesis into a complete virtue-ethical system encompassing ontology, praxis, politics, and daily life.

二、義理內核：朱熹 “修德為本” 的概念界定與經典理據闡釋

2. Doctrinal Core: The Conceptual Definition and Classical Rationale of Zhu Xi’s “Cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation”

在繼承二程思想的基礎上，朱熹以《大學》《論語》《孟子》等經典為核心依據，結合自己的理氣論、心性論架構，完成了 “修德為本” 概念的義理提純，明確了這一德性倫理原則的核心內涵、存有依據及價值優先級，為後續的實踐邏輯建構築牢了理論根基。

On the basis of inheriting the Cheng brothers’ thought, Zhu Xi, taking the Great Learning, the Analects, and the Mencius as core textual authorities and integrating his own frameworks of principle-and-vital-force and mind-and-nature, completed the doctrinal refinement of the concept of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation.” He clarified the core meaning, ontological foundation, and value priority of this virtue-ethical principle, laying a firm theoretical groundwork for the subsequent construction of its practical logic.

2.1 根本界定：德者本也，修身立本

2.1 Fundamental Definition: Virtue as the Root, Self-Cultivation Establishes the Foundation

朱熹 “修德為本” 的核心命題，直接源自《大學》對 “本” 的根本性論述。《大學》在提出三綱領、八條目之後，緊接着用 “物有本末，事有終始，知所先後，則近道矣” 一句，點明了整個儒家實踐體系的核心邏輯 —— 本末有序、先後有次，抓住根本才是踐行大學之道的關鍵；而在這一整套體系中，“修德” 是覆蓋從個人修養到天下治理所有層面的絕對根本。《大學》進一步以逆推溯源、順推踐行的雙向互釋結構，強化了這一根本邏輯：從宏大的 “明明德於天下” 目標逆向回溯，治理天下的前提是治理好國家，治理國家的前提是整治好家庭，整治家庭的前提是修養自身；而從基礎工夫正向推導，格物之後才能致知，致知之後才能誠意，誠意之後才能正心，正心之後才能修身，修身之後才能齊家，齊家之後才能治國，治國之後才能平天下。在這一閉環邏輯中，修身是連接內在心性涵養與外在事業拓展的唯一樞紐：此前的格物、致知、誠意、正心，是完成修身的內在工夫；此後的齊家、治國、平天下，是修身的外在延伸與自然結果。

The core proposition of Zhu Xi’s “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” stems directly from the fundamental discussion of the “root” (ben) in the Great Learning. Immediately after presenting the three guiding principles and the eight items, the Great Learning states, “Things have their roots and branches, affairs have their endings and beginnings. When you know what comes first and what comes last, you are near the Way.” This sentence highlights the core logic of the entire Confucian practical system—the order of root and branch, the sequence of before and after; grasping the root is the key to practicing the Way of great learning. Within this entire system, “cultivating virtue” is the absolute root covering all levels, from individual cultivation to the governance of the world. The Great Learning further reinforces this foundational logic through a bidirectional mutual-explication structure of reverse tracing and forward practice. Tracing backward from the grand goal of “making bright virtue manifest in the world”: to bring peace to the world, one must first order one’s state; to order the state, one must first regulate one’s family; to regulate the family, one must first cultivate one’s person. Proceeding forward from foundational work: things are investigated, and then knowledge becomes complete; knowledge is complete, and then the intentions are sincere; intentions are sincere, and then the mind is rectified; the mind is rectified, and then the person is cultivated; the person is cultivated, and then the family is regulated; the family is regulated, and then the state is ordered; the state is ordered, and then the world is at peace. In this closed-loop logic, self-cultivation is the sole hub connecting inner mind-and-nature cultivation with outer enterprise expansion. The preceding steps of investigating things, extending knowledge, making the intentions sincere, and rectifying the mind are the inner work for accomplishing self-cultivation; the succeeding steps of regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world are the outward extension and natural outcome of self-cultivation.

朱熹精準把握住了《大學》的這一核心旨趣，在註疏時反覆強調 “修身為本” 的絕對性與普遍性：《大學》明言 “自天子以至於庶人，壹是皆以修身為本”，在朱熹看來，這一表述具有極為重要的倫理革命意義 —— 它打破了天子與平民之間的身份等級壁壘，在道德價值的維度上實現了徹底的人格平等：無論身份貴賤、職位高低，涵養德性、修養自身，是所有人不可推卸的根本責任。他進一步從體用、本末的雙向維度，界定了修德與天下國家的關係：“修身是對天下國家說。修身是本，天下國家是末”，“本” 是決定事物存在與發展的核心依據，“末” 是依傍根本存在的外在表現；修德是 “明明德” 的核心落地方式，是向內涵養本善德性的 “內聖” 根本，而天下國家的治理，只是修德向外自然生髮的 “外王” 結果。

Zhu Xi accurately grasped this core thrust of the Great Learning. In his commentaries, he repeatedly stressed the absoluteness and universality of “self-cultivation as the root.” The Great Learning explicitly states, “From the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all without exception must regard self-cultivation as the root.” In Zhu Xi’s view, this statement had an immensely revolutionary ethical significance—it shattered the hierarchical barriers between the emperor and commoners, realizing a thorough equality of personality on the dimension of moral value: regardless of the nobility or baseness of one’s status, or the height of one’s position, nurturing virtue and cultivating oneself is an inescapable fundamental responsibility for all. He further defined the relationship between cultivating virtue and the state and the world from the dual dimensions of substance-and-function and root-and-branch: “Self-cultivation is in relation to the state and the world. Self-cultivation is the root; the state and the world are the branches.” The “root” is the core basis determining the existence and development of things; the “branch” is the external manifestation dependent on the root. Cultivating virtue is the core method of realizing “making bright virtue manifest,” the “inner sagehood” foundation for inwardly nurturing the original good virtue, while the governance of the state and the world is merely the result of “outer kingship” naturally arising from the outward extension of self-cultivation.

這一邏輯的關鍵支撐，是《大學》中 “德者本也，財者末也” 的經典論斷，朱熹將其從單純的財政倫理命題，上升為貫穿整個社會人倫的價值本末原則。在《大學》的原始語境中，這一論述本是針對治國理政的價值取捨展開：君子必定先慎重修養德行，只有具備德性，才能獲得民眾的擁戴，獲得民眾擁戴才能保有土地，保有土地才能擁有財富，擁有財富才能供給國家用度；德行是根本，財富是枝末，如果顛倒本末，將德行當作外在裝飾，將財利作為內心追求，就會誘導百姓互相爭奪，甚至引發全社會的道德崩塌。朱熹完全認可這一邏輯，並進一步作了創造性詮釋：他並不否定財利的合理價值，而是明確 “德能致財，財由德有” 的先後邏輯 —— 不是要完全排斥財利，而是必須將修德作為獲取財利的根本前提；只有以德性為基礎，讓百姓安居樂業、各得其利，國家才能擁有持久不竭的財富來源。在他看來，財富是人人都喜好的共同慾望，如果統治者顛倒本末、聚斂財富，就會引發百姓的爭奪，最終落得 “財聚則民散” 的下場；反之，以德為本、散財於民，讓百姓擁有自己的生業與財富，就會實現 “財散則民聚” 的治理效果。這一論述，本質是將修德這一個人倫理原則，直接轉化為政治領域的根本價值準則，完成了修德從個人修養到社會治理的價值貫通。

A key support for this logic is the classical dictum in the Great Learning, “Virtue is the root; wealth is the branch.” Zhu Xi elevated this from a simple fiscal-ethical proposition to a principle of value root-and-branch running through the entirety of social and human relations. In the original context of the Great Learning, this statement was aimed at value choices in governing the state: the noble person must first carefully cultivate virtue; only with virtue can one gain the people’s support; with the people’s support, one can possess the land; with land, there will be wealth; with wealth, there will be resources for state use. Virtue is the root; wealth is the branch. If one reverses root and branch, treating virtue as an external decoration and pursuing profit as an inner goal, it will induce the people to contend with one another and even lead to the moral collapse of the entire society. Zhu Xi fully endorsed this logic and further offered a creative interpretation: he did not deny the legitimate value of wealth and profit, but clearly defined the sequential logic that “virtue can lead to wealth, and wealth comes from virtue”—not to completely reject wealth, but to insist that cultivating virtue must be the foundational prerequisite for acquiring wealth. Only by taking virtue as the foundation, allowing the people to live peacefully and enjoy their work and each to obtain their own benefits, can the state have an inexhaustible source of wealth. In his view, wealth is a common desire beloved by all people. If the ruler reverses root and branch and amasses wealth, it will provoke contention among the people, ultimately leading to the outcome of “when wealth is gathered, the people scatter.” Conversely, taking virtue as the root and dispersing wealth to the people, allowing them to possess their own livelihoods and property, will bring about the governance effect of “when wealth is dispersed, the people gather.” This exposition essentially transforms the individual ethical principle of cultivating virtue directly into a fundamental value criterion in the political domain, completing the value integration of cultivating virtue from personal cultivation to social governance.

2.2 存有依據：天理賦予與明德復歸

2.2 Ontological Foundation: The Endowment of Heavenly Principle and the Return to Bright Virtue

“修德為本” 不是朱熹單純基於社會現實提出的規範性要求，而是以其理學本體論、心性論為深層存有依據的道德原則 —— 也就是說，修德的必要性與合理性，根源於人得之於天的德性本體，而非後天的人為規定。朱熹以 “性即理” 為核心出發點，建構起從天理到人性、再到道德實踐的完整存有論鏈條：天地萬物都由理與氣共同構成，理是形而上的、純善無惡的終極本體，是事物的本質規定性；氣是形而下的、有清濁偏正之分的物質質料，是萬物現實存在的基礎。人作為萬物之靈，同樣是理與氣的結合：天理落在人身上，就構成了人的天命之性 —— 也就是仁義禮智等先天善性；而氣稟則構成了人的形體，成為性理的現實載體。

“Cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” is not a normative demand put forward by Zhu Xi purely on the basis of social reality, but a moral principle with deep existential grounding in his Neo-Confucian ontology and theory of mind-and-nature. That is, the necessity and legitimacy of cultivating virtue are rooted in the innate virtuous substance that humans receive from heaven, not in artificial postnatal stipulations. Taking “nature is principle” (性即理xing ji li) as the core point of departure, Zhu Xi constructed a complete ontological chain from heavenly principle to human nature, and then to moral practice. The ten thousand things of heaven and earth are all constituted by the combination of principle (理li) and vital force (氣qi). Principle is the metaphysical, purely good, and ultimate substance, the essential defining nature of things. Vital force is the physical material substrate with distinctions of clarity and turbidity, partiality and balance, which forms the basis for the actual existence of all things. Humans, as the most intelligent of all beings, are likewise a combination of principle and vital force: when heavenly principle falls into a human being, it constitutes that person’s heavenly-endowed nature—that is, the innate good nature of humaneness, rightness, propriety, and wisdom; vital force endowment then forms the physical body and becomes the actual carrier of the nature-as-principle.

在這一架構中，“明德” 是連接天理與人的現實道德生命的關鍵概念，也是修德的終極存有依據。朱熹在《大學章句》中明確界定 “明德” 的內涵：“明德者，人之所得乎天，而虛靈不昧，以具眾理而應萬事者也”—— 這是一種上天賦予、本來光明澄澈的先驗道德本體，它完全具備天理的所有善性，能夠統攝應對世間萬事萬物；但在現實中，這一光明的本體往往會被人的氣稟所拘限、被人慾所遮蔽，從而陷入晦暗不明的狀態，然而它的本然光明性能量從未真正停息，依然會在日常實踐中悄然顯露出善的端緒。這一界定，清晰指出了修德的本質：不是從外部向人灌輸某種道德規範，而是通過後天的修養工夫，祛除氣稟物慾的遮蔽，將自身本具的 “明德” 重新煥發出來，回復到它的本然光明狀態。朱熹進一步用鏡子做比喻來解釋這一邏輯：人的本性原本善良光明，就像一面乾淨明亮的鏡子；但後天的物慾、不良習慣的沾染，如同鏡子上落滿了灰塵；而修德的過程，就是常常擦拭鏡子、祛除灰塵，讓其原有的光明重新顯現的過程。

Within this framework, “bright virtue” (明德mingde) is the key concept connecting heavenly principle with the actual moral life of humans, and it is also the ultimate ontological basis for cultivating virtue. In his Commentary on the Great Learning, Zhu Xi explicitly defines the meaning of “bright virtue”: “Bright virtue is what humans obtain from Heaven; it is empty, spirit-like, and not obscured, thereby containing all principles and responding to the ten thousand affairs.”This is an innate, originally radiant and clear transcendent moral substance endowed by heaven, fully possessing all the good nature of heavenly principle and capable of comprehending and responding to all things in the world. However, in reality, this radiant substance is often constrained by one’s endowment of vital force and obscured by human desires, thus falling into a dim and unmanifest state. Nevertheless, its inherent luminous power never truly ceases and occasionally reveals the sprouts of goodness in daily practice. This definition clearly points out the essence of cultivating virtue: it is not the inculcation of external moral norms into a person, but rather the use of postnatal cultivation work to eliminate the obscurations of vital force and material desires, to re-illuminate the “bright virtue” inherently possessed by the self, restoring it to its original luminous state. Zhu Xi further used the metaphor of a mirror to explain this logic: human nature is originally good and bright, like a clean and bright mirror; but the contamination of postnatal desires and bad habits is like a mirror covered with dust. The process of cultivating virtue is the process of constantly wiping the mirror to remove the dust, allowing its original brightness to manifest again.

為了進一步說明修德的內在可能性，朱熹還創造性地區分了 “良知” 與 “良心” 兩個概念，為德性修養找到了明確的主體依據。在他的詮釋中，“良知” 是嚴格意義上的性理本體，是先天普遍、永恆不變的純粹至善之性，是所有人與生俱來的道德存有依據；“良心” 則是 “良知” 在人心未被私慾遮蔽時的純然顯露狀態，它會在現實生活中隨着人的心念活動、實踐選擇發生變化。也就是說，“良知” 是修德的終極依據，保證了道德法則的普遍性；而 “良心” 的可變性，則指明了後天修養的必要性 —— 修德的本質，就是通過存養與擴充的工夫，將良心時時保存在本然狀態，充分發揮 “良知” 的先天善性，徹底擺脫氣稟物慾的桎梏。這一整套心性論架構，為 “修德為本” 提供了堅實的哲學基礎：正因為人先天具有完滿天理的明德、良知，修德才擁有明確的目標與可行的基礎；正因為現實中明德會被私慾遮蔽、良心會發生變動，修德才成為必須持續踐行的根本責任 —— 這不是外在的道德說教，而是人順承自身本性、回歸生命本然狀態的必然選擇。

To further illustrate the inner possibility of cultivating virtue, Zhu Xi also creatively distinguished between the two concepts of “innate knowledge of the good” (良知liangzhi) and “innate moral mind” (良心liangxin), finding a clear subjective basis for virtue cultivation. In his interpretation, “innate knowledge of the good” is strictly the substance of nature-as-principle, the innate, universal, eternal, and purely good nature, the existential basis of morality inherent in all people from birth. “Innate moral mind” is the pure manifestation of “innate knowledge” when the human mind is not yet obscured by selfish desires; it changes with the movements of one’s mental activities and practical choices in real life. That is to say, “innate knowledge of the good” is the ultimate basis for cultivating virtue, guaranteeing the universality of the moral law; and the variability of the “innate moral mind” points to the necessity of postnatal cultivation. The essence of cultivating virtue is to preserve and expand the innate moral mind, constantly maintaining it in its original state, fully giving play to the innate good nature of “innate knowledge,” and thoroughly casting off the shackles of vital force and material desires. This entire mind-and-nature framework provides a solid philosophical foundation for “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation”: precisely because humans innately possess bright virtue and innate knowledge replete with heavenly principle, cultivating virtue has a clear goal and a feasible basis; precisely because in reality bright virtue can be obscured by selfish desires and the innate moral mind can fluctuate, cultivating virtue becomes a fundamental responsibility that must be continuously practiced. This is not external moralizing, but the necessary choice for humans to comply with their own nature and return to the original state of life.

2.3 基本原則：義理、倫理、知行的三重規範

2.3 Basic Principles: The Threefold Norm of Principle-and-Rightness, Ethics, and Knowledge-and-Action

基於對 “修德為本” 的核心定義與存有依據的闡發，朱熹在其著作中明確了修德過程中必須遵循的三重基本原則，進一步細化了這一德性倫理原則的實踐價值準則，將抽象的本體義理轉化為可遵循的實踐規範。

Based on the elucidation of the core definition and ontological basis of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation,” Zhu Xi, in his works, articulated three fundamental principles that must be followed in the process of cultivating virtue. This further refined the practical value standards of this virtue-ethical principle, transforming abstract ontological doctrines into actionable practical norms.

第一，在價值取捨層面，堅持 “重義輕利、以義制利” 的義理原則。朱熹繼承了《大學》“德本財末” 的邏輯，將義利之辨視為修德的核心價值前提。他並不完全否定財利的合理價值，而是強調獲取財利必須以德性為根本前提，堅決反對 “外本內末” 的價值顛倒：如果將財利、私慾作為根本追求，就會誘導民眾爭奪，破壞社會人倫；只有將德性、道義作為根本準則，讓財利的獲取完全符合道義規範，才能真正實現社會的長治久安。這一原則不是針對普通百姓的普通生活要求，而是針對所有需要承擔公共事務的士人、統治者提出的嚴肅價值規範：在上位者必須先明確義利本末的先後順序，自身修養德性，再以道義標準引導百姓，而不是將聚斂財富作為治國的核心目標。

First, in the realm of value choices, one must adhere to the principle of “valuing rightness and devaluing profit, and regulating profit by rightness.” Zhu Xi inherited the logic of the Great Learning’s “virtue as root, wealth as branch” and regarded the distinction between rightness (yi) and profit (li) as the core value premise of cultivating virtue. He did not entirely deny the reasonable value of wealth and profit but emphasized that acquiring them must take virtue as the foundational premise, resolutely opposing the value inversion of “making outward the root and inward the branch.” If one takes wealth and selfish desires as the fundamental pursuit, it will induce the people to contend and destroy social human relations. Only by taking virtue and the Way as fundamental standards, ensuring that the acquisition of wealth fully complies with moral norms, can one truly achieve long-term stability and order in society. This principle was not a common life requirement aimed at ordinary people, but a serious value norm directed at all scholars and rulers who undertake public duties: those in high positions must first clarify the sequential order of root and branch between rightness and profit, cultivate virtue themselves, and then guide the people by the standards of the Way and rightness, rather than taking the accumulation of wealth as the core goal of governance.

第二，在人倫關係層面，堅持 “盡倫消私、立公去私” 的倫理原則。朱熹認為，修德的本質是回歸天理的公共性，核心是消除個人的偏私慾望，成就符合人倫公共理性的道德品格。天理的本質是公共的、普遍的、絕對的善，而人慾的本質是個體的、偏私的、非理性的慾望；二者在道德領域處於此消彼長、不容並立的對立狀態。修德的過程，就是不斷存養天理、消除人慾的過程：既要在日常人倫中踐行仁義禮智的規範，做到事親以孝、事兄以悌、交友以信；又要在具體事務中剋制個人的偏私慾望，做到公平正直、絕無偏私。朱熹特彆強調，這一原則並非只針對普通百姓，而是從天子到庶人都必須嚴格遵守的絕對標準 —— 任何人都不能以身份特殊為借口，放縱私慾、違背倫理，這也是 “壹是皆以修身為本” 的深層倫理內涵。

Second, in the realm of human relations, one must adhere to the ethical principle of “fulfilling one’s role in human relations to eliminate selfishness, and establishing the public to dispel the private.” Zhu Xi believed that the essence of cultivating virtue is returning to the publicness of heavenly principle, the core of which is eliminating individual partial and selfish desires and achieving a moral character that aligns with the public reason of human relations. The nature of heavenly principle is public, universal, and absolute good; the nature of human desire is individual, partial, and irrational desire. Within the moral domain, the two exist in a zero-sum state of mutual waxing and waning, incapable of coexistence. The process of cultivating virtue is the process of continuously preserving heavenly principle and eliminating human desire: one must both practice the norms of humaneness, rightness, propriety, and wisdom in daily human relations—serving parents with filial piety, serving elder brothers with brotherly respect, and treating friends with trustworthiness—and restrain personal partial desires in concrete affairs, achieving fairness, uprightness, and absolute absence of partiality. Zhu Xi particularly emphasized that this principle is not directed only at ordinary people, but is an absolute standard that must be strictly observed by everyone from the Son of Heaven down to the common people. No one can use special status as an excuse to indulge selfish desires and violate ethical norms; this is also the deeper ethical meaning of “all without exception must regard self-cultivation as the root.”

第三，在實踐路徑層面，堅持 “知行相須、知先行後” 的知行原則。朱熹反對將修德簡化為單純的理論知識積累，也反對缺乏理論引導的盲目實踐，而是主張道德認知與道德實踐必須緊密結合、互相促進。他明確提出，“知” 是道德實踐的前提 —— 必須先通過格物致知的工夫，通曉天理的內涵，明辨善惡的標準，才能明確修德的正確方向；“行” 是道德認知的落地 —— 如果只有道德認知，卻不將其轉化為具體的道德實踐，那麼認知就只是空洞的理論，完全沒有實際價值。在修德的具體過程中，要先通過講學、讀書、窮理的方式明晰義理，形成深刻的道德認知；再將這種認知轉化為日常實踐，在灑掃應對、待人接物、處理事務的過程中長期踐行，將外在的道德規範內化為自身的道德品格，最終實現德性的真正成就。

Third, in the realm of the path of practice, one must adhere to the principle of “knowledge and action depend on each other, with knowledge preceding action.” Zhu Xi opposed reducing cultivating virtue to mere accumulation of theoretical knowledge and also opposed blind practice lacking theoretical guidance. Instead, he advocated that moral knowledge and moral practice must be closely integrated and mutually reinforcing. He explicitly stated that “knowledge” is the prerequisite for moral practice—one must first, through the work of investigating things and extending knowledge, comprehend the content of heavenly principle and clearly distinguish the standards of good and evil, thereby clarifying the correct direction for cultivating virtue. “Action” is the actualization of moral knowledge—if one only possesses moral knowledge but does not transform it into concrete moral practice, then knowledge remains empty theory without any practical value. In the concrete process of cultivating virtue, one must first clarify principles and rightness through lecturing, studying, and exhaustively investigating principle, forming a profound moral cognition; then transform this cognition into daily practice, long-term implementation in the processes of sprinkling and sweeping, interacting with others, and handling affairs, internalizing external moral norms into one’s own moral character, and finally achieving the true accomplishment of virtue.

三、邏輯建構：《大學》八條目次第下的修德進路與義理閉環

3. Logical Construction: The Progression of Cultivating Virtue and the Doctrinal Closed Loop Under the Sequence of the Eight Items of the Great Learning

如果說二程的 “入德之門” 論述指明了修德的經典前提，《大學》的 “德者本也” 論斷指明了修德的價值定位，心性論指明了修德的存有依據，那麼《大學》八條目則為朱熹 “修德為本” 思想提供了完整、有序的實踐邏輯 —— 通過劃分 “內聖修己 — 樞紐修身 — 外王安人” 的遞進結構，朱熹將修德從一個抽象的價值命題，轉化為一套可分階段踐行、可長期堅持的閉環修養體系。

If the Cheng brothers’ thesis of “the gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood” pointed out the classical premise of cultivating virtue, and the Great Learning’s judgment of “virtue is the root” pointed out its value positioning, and the theory of mind-and-nature pointed out its ontological basis, then the eight items of the Great Learning provided Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” with a complete and orderly practical logic. By dividing the progressive structure into “inner sagehood of cultivating oneself—the pivotal point of self-cultivation—outer kingship of bringing peace to others,” Zhu Xi transformed cultivating virtue from an abstract value proposition into a closed-loop system of cultivation that can be practiced in stages and sustained over the long term.

3.1 整體架構：本末有序的雙向邏輯

3.1 Overall Architecture: The Bidirectional Logic of Root-Branch Order

朱熹將《大學》八條目視為承載 “修德為本” 邏輯的完整實踐框架，其核心特徵是本末分明、先後有序，以及由逆向溯源、順向踐行共同構成的雙向互釋結構。這一結構的本質，是將 “修德為本” 這一原則，從終極的平天下目標，一步步回溯到格物這一最基礎的工夫起點；再從格物起步，順着修養工夫的次第，一步步延伸到平天下的終極目標，形成一個首尾呼應、不可分割的閉環。

Zhu Xi regarded the eight items of the Great Learning as the complete practical framework carrying the logic of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation.” Its core features are the clear distinction between root and branch, the order of before and after, and the bidirectional mutual-explication structure formed by reverse tracing and forward practice. The essence of this structure is to take the principle of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation,” from the ultimate goal of bringing peace to the world, trace it step by step back to the most basic starting point of work, investigating things; and then from investigating things, follow the sequence of self-cultivation work step by step, extending to the ultimate goal of bringing peace to the world, forming a closed loop that connects beginning and end and cannot be separated.

從逆向溯源的邏輯來看，《大學》提出 “古之欲明明德於天下者，先治其國；欲治其國者，先齊其家；欲齊其家者，先修其身；欲修其身者，先正其心；欲正其心者，先誠其意；欲誠其意者，先致其知；致知在格物”—— 從 “明明德於天下” 這一最宏大的社會治理目標，依次回溯到格物這一最基礎的認知工夫：要想實現天下大治，必須先治理好國家；要想治理好國家，必須先整治好家庭；要想整治好家庭，必須先修養好自身；要想修養好自身，必須先端正本心；要想端正本心，必須先凈化意念；要想凈化意念，必須先擴充知識；而擴充知識的關鍵，在於窮盡事物之理。這一逆向推導的核心，是為所有的實踐目標找到根本支撐：天下治理的根本在國家治理，國家治理的根本在家庭整治，家庭整治的根本在個人修身，而個人修身的基礎則在格物致知 —— 所有的外王事業，最終都錨定在修德這一根本上。

Looking at the logic of reverse tracing, the Great Learning states: “The ancients who wished to make bright virtue manifest in the world first ordered their states. Wishing to order their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their minds. Wishing to rectify their minds, they first made their intentions sincere. Wishing to make their intentions sincere, they first extended their knowledge. The extension of knowledge lies in the investigation of things.” From the grandest goal of social governance, “making bright virtue manifest in the world,” it traces step by step back to the most basic cognitive work, investigating things: to realize great order in the world, one must first order the state well; to order the state well, one must first regulate the family; to regulate the family, one must first cultivate the person well; to cultivate the person, one must first rectify the mind; to rectify the mind, one must first purify the intentions; to purify the intentions, one must first extend knowledge; and the key to extending knowledge lies in exhaustively investigating the principles of things. The core of this reverse derivation is to find the fundamental support for all practical goals: the root of world governance lies in state governance, the root of state governance lies in family regulation, the root of family regulation lies in personal self-cultivation, and the basis of personal self-cultivation lies in investigating things and extending knowledge—all enterprises of outer kingship are ultimately anchored in the single root of cultivating virtue.

從順向踐行的邏輯來看，《大學》提出 “物格而後知至，知至而後意誠，意誠而後心正，心正而後身修，身修而後家齊，家齊而後國治，國治而後天下平”—— 從格物這一基礎工夫起步，依次推進到致知、誠意、正心，完成內在德性的涵養；再以修身為樞紐，向外推進到齊家、治國、平天下，完成外在事業的實踐。這一順向推進的關鍵，是明確修養工夫的不可變更的先後次第：只有先做好格物的工夫，才能實現致知；只有先完成致知，才能做到誠意；只有先做到誠意，才能實現正心；只有先完成正心，才能真正修身；只有先修好自身，才能整治家庭；只有先整治好家庭，才能治理國家；只有先治理好國家，才能最終實現天下太平。

Looking at the logic of forward practice, the Great Learning states: “Things being investigated, knowledge becomes complete. Knowledge being complete, intentions become sincere. Intentions being sincere, the mind is rectified. The mind being rectified, the person is cultivated. The person being cultivated, the family is regulated. The family being regulated, the state is ordered. The state being ordered, the world is at peace.” From the foundational work of investigating things, it proceeds in sequence to extending knowledge, making the intentions sincere, and rectifying the mind, completing the inner nurturing of virtue; then, taking self-cultivation as the hub, it proceeds outward to regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, completing the practice of outer enterprise. The key to this forward progression is specifying the unalterable sequential order of cultivation work: only by first doing the work of investigating things well can one realize the extension of knowledge; only by first completing the extension of knowledge can one make the intentions sincere; only by first making the intentions sincere can one rectify the mind; only by first rectifying the mind can one truly cultivate the person; only by first cultivating the person well can one regulate the family; only by first regulating the family well can one order the state; only by first governing the state well can one ultimately bring peace to the world.

在朱熹看來，這一雙向結構不是隨意的排列，而是有着極強的因果邏輯：八個條目之間環環相扣、缺一不可，也不可隨意變更先後順序；每一個後續環節，都以前面的環節為基礎；每一個前面的環節，都指向後續環節的落實。而貫穿這一整個閉環邏輯的核心樞紐，正是 “修身”—— 也就是修德：前四個條目是修德的內聖工夫，後三個條目是修德的外王延伸；無論是內聖的涵養，還是外王的實踐，本質都是修德這一根本的不同展開形式。

In Zhu Xi’s view, this bidirectional structure is not a random arrangement but possesses a powerful causal logic: the eight items are interlocking and indispensable, and their sequence cannot be arbitrarily altered. Each subsequent link is based on the previous link; each preceding link points toward the realization of the subsequent link. The core hub running through this entire closed-loop logic is precisely “self-cultivation”—that is, cultivating virtue. The first four items are the inner sage work of cultivating virtue; the last three items are the outer kingly extension of cultivating virtue. Whether the inner nurturing or the outer practice, both are essentially different unfolding forms of the single root of cultivating virtue.

3.2 內聖維度：格致誠正的入德涵養工夫

3.2 The Inner Sage Dimension: The Cultivation Work of Entering Virtue in the Steps of Investigation, Extension, Sincerity, and Rectification

朱熹將格物、致知、誠意、正心這四個條目，劃歸為 “內聖修己” 層面，也就是修德的內在涵養工夫。這一維度的核心任務，是逐步擺脫氣稟物慾的遮蔽，讓本具的明德重新彰顯，完成從自然生命向道德生命的本質轉變；而這一整個轉變過程，又以 “格物致知” 為 “入道” 第一義，也就是入門的根本前提。

Zhu Xi classified the four items of investigating things (格物gewu), extending knowledge (致知zhizhi), making the intentions sincere (誠意chengyi), and rectifying the mind (正心zhengxin) as belonging to the dimension of “inner sagehood and self-cultivation,” i.e., the inner nurturing work of cultivating virtue. The core task of this dimension is to gradually cast off the obscurations of vital force and material desires, allowing the inherent bright virtue to manifest again, and to complete the essential transformation from natural life to moral life. This entire transformation process takes “investigating things and extending knowledge” as the first principle of “entering the Way of sagehood” (入道rudao), the fundamental prerequisite of the gateway.

朱熹承接二程的思想，將 “格物致知” 定位為學者 “入道”—— 也就是進入道德生命的關鍵工夫，強調其基礎優先地位。他對 “格物致知” 作出了明確的定義：“格，至也；物，猶事也。窮至事物之理，欲其極處無不到也”，“致，推極也；知，猶識也。推極吾之知識，欲其所知無不盡也”—— 格物不是單純探索自然事物的原理，而是要窮究一切人事外物中蘊含的天理，並且要窮究到極致之處；致知則是將自己的道德認知推擴到極致，讓自己對天理的認知沒有半分蒙蔽、遺漏。在朱熹看來，常人往往被氣稟、私慾所遮蔽，普遍缺乏對道德之理的自覺認知 —— 很多人沉湎在自然生命的需求中，完全分不清善惡的標準，即便有善端萌發，也因為缺少明確的認知，很快就會泯滅無蹤。在這種情況下，主敬涵養的修身工夫根本無處下手，即便勉強去做，也會因為缺少理論引導，陷入盲目甚至錯誤的方向。而格物致知的價值，就是通過接觸事物、窮究事理，開明人的心智，讓人清晰認識到善惡的標準、天理的內涵，從此擁有明確的道德認知，真正踏上道德生命的成長之路。

Inheriting the Cheng brothers’ thought, Zhu Xi positioned “investigating things and extending knowledge” as the crucial work for a learner to “enter the Way of sagehood”—that is, to enter moral life—stressing its foundational priority. He provided a clear definition: “格Ge means to reach; 物wu means affairs. It is to exhaust the principles of things and affairs, wishing to arrive at their utmost limit with nothing unreached.” “致Zhi means to push to the extreme; 知zhi means knowledge. It is to push one’s knowledge to the utmost limit, wishing that what one knows is without incompleteness.” Investigating things is not simply exploring the principles of natural objects; it is to exhaustively investigate the heavenly principle contained in all human affairs and external things, and to do so to the utmost extreme. Extending knowledge is to push one’s moral cognition to the extreme, ensuring that one’s understanding of heavenly principle is without the slightest obscuration or omission. In Zhu Xi’s view, ordinary people are often obscured by their endowment of vital force and selfish desires, generally lacking conscious cognition of the principles of morality. Many are immersed in the needs of natural life, completely unable to distinguish standards of good and evil. Even if the sprouts of goodness emerge, because they lack clear cognition, they soon vanish without a trace. Under such circumstances, the cultivation work of abiding in reverence and nourishing the self has no place to start. Even if one forces oneself to do it, because of the lack of theoretical guidance, one will fall into blindness or even error. The value of investigating things and extending knowledge lies precisely in opening up the human mind through contact with things and the exhaustive investigation of their principles, allowing a person to clearly recognize the standards of good and evil and the content of heavenly principle. From then on, one possesses clear moral cognition and truly sets foot on the path of moral life growth.

格物致知之後，工夫就進入 “誠意” 與 “正心” 的環節，這是由道德認知轉向道德意志的關鍵階段，也是修德工夫最吃緊的地方。朱熹將 “誠意” 定義為 “實其心之所發，欲其一於善而無自欺也”—— 這是要凈化自己的意念，徹底根除自欺欺人的私心雜念，讓每一個念頭都完全指向善的方向；他特彆強調，誠意是 “人鬼關”，是區分善惡的關鍵節點：如果說格物致知是撥開認知上的迷霧，那麼誠意就是在道德實踐的起點上，做出為善去惡的決定性選擇。而 “正心”，則是誠意工夫的進一步深化：它是指擺脫各種過度情緒、私慾雜念的影響，讓心體保持長久的敬畏、警醒、端正狀態；心是身的主宰，如果心被私慾雜念所裹挾，無法保持端正，那麼即便有善的意念，也難以真正落實到實踐中。只有在誠意的基礎上進一步端正本心，讓心完全統攝性情，不受任何偏私慾望的影響，才能確立起穩定的道德意志，為後續的修身實踐提供可靠的內在主宰。

After investigating things and extending knowledge, the work enters the stages of “making the intentions sincere” and “rectifying the mind.” This is the crucial stage of shifting from moral cognition to moral will, and it is also the most intense and critical part of the work of cultivating virtue. Zhu Xi defined “making the intentions sincere” as “making real what the mind emits, wishing it to be unified in goodness and without self-deception”—this is to purify one’s own intentions, thoroughly eradicating the selfish, self-deceptive thoughts, so that every single incipient thought is fully directed toward goodness. He particularly emphasized that making the intentions sincere is the “gate of human and ghost,” the crucial juncture distinguishing good and evil: if investigating things and extending knowledge clears away the fog on cognition, then making the intentions sincere is the decisive choice to do good and eliminate evil at the very starting point of moral practice. “Rectifying the mind” is the further deepening of the work of making the intentions sincere: it refers to casting off the influence of various excessive emotions and selfish desires, maintaining the mind-substance in a prolonged state of reverence, vigilance, and uprightness. The mind is the master of the body. If the mind is entangled by selfish desires and cannot maintain uprightness, then even if there is the intention toward goodness, it will be difficult to truly implement it in practice. Only by further rectifying the original mind on the basis of making the intentions sincere, allowing the mind to completely command the nature and emotions, unaffected by any partial and selfish desires, can one establish stable moral will, providing a reliable inner master for the subsequent practice of self-cultivation.

朱熹進一步指出，這四項內聖工夫不是截然分開、互不關聯的獨立階段，而是在實踐中交相為助、互相支撐的有機整體：格物致知離不開主敬涵養的輔助，需要在收斂敬畏的心態中去窮究事理；誠意正心也需要以格物致知的認知為基礎，沒有對天理的清晰認知，意念的誠、心的正就會失去明確的方向，甚至陷入盲目的空寂實踐。這一整套內聖修養的核心目標，是祛除氣稟私慾對明德的遮蔽，讓本具的明德完全、充分地彰顯出來；而當這一目標達成時，工夫就會自然過渡到 “修身” 這一樞紐環節。

Zhu Xi further pointed out that these four items of inner sage work are not sharply separated, unrelated independent stages, but in practice are an organic whole that mutually assist and support each other. Investigating things and extending knowledge cannot be separated from the assistance of abiding in reverence and nourishing the self; one needs to exhaustively investigate principles in a state of convergence and reverence. Making the intentions sincere and rectifying the mind also need to be based on the cognition gained from investigating things and extending knowledge; without clear cognition of heavenly principle, the sincerity of intentions and rectification of the mind will lose their clear direction, even falling into blind and empty practice. The core goal of this entire set of inner sage cultivation is to eliminate the obscuration of bright virtue by vital force and selfish desires, allowing the inherent bright virtue to be fully and completely manifested. When this goal is achieved, the work will naturally transition to the pivotal link of “self-cultivation.”

3.3 樞紐核心：修身作為內聖外王的連接點

3.3 The Pivotal Core: Self-Cultivation as the Connection Point Between Inner Sagehood and Outer Kingship

在八條目嚴密的遞進邏輯中，“修身” 是唯一連接內聖與外王的關鍵樞紐，是統攝修德全部工夫的核心支點：此前的格物、致知、誠意、正心這四項內聖工夫，最終的落地方向就是修身；此後的齊家、治國、平天下這三項外王事業，唯一的可靠出發點也是修身。正是修身這一樞紐，將內在的德性涵養與外在的社會治理實踐緊密結合在一起，讓儒家的道德思想不會淪為單純的內在體悟，也讓儒家的社會理想不會淪為脫離基礎的空洞政治口號。

Within the rigorous progressive logic of the eight items, “self-cultivation” is the sole crucial hub connecting inner sagehood and outer kingship, the core pivot unifying all the work of cultivating virtue. The four preceding items of inner sage work—investigating things, extending knowledge, making the intentions sincere, and rectifying the mind—ultimately land on self-cultivation. The three subsequent items of outer kingly enterprise—regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—can only reliably begin from self-cultivation. It is this pivotal point of self-cultivation that tightly integrates inner virtue cultivation with outer social governance practice, ensuring that Confucian moral thought does not degenerate into mere inner realization, nor does the Confucian social ideal become empty political slogans detached from their foundation.

朱熹從體用、本末兩個維度，論證了修身的樞紐地位。從體用維度看，內在的德性修養是 “體”，是道德價值的根本依託；外在的社會事業是 “用”，是道德價值的自然展現。如果沒有修身作為連接點，內在的德性就無法轉化為外在的有效實踐，外在的事業也會失去堅實的價值支撐；只有完成修身，才能讓內在明德的價值，自然而然地流淌、展現到外部實踐中。從本末維度看，修身是 “本”，是所有社會事業的核心基礎；齊家、治國、平天下是 “末”，是由修身生髮的外在結果。朱熹用極為堅決的語氣，強調了這一邏輯的絕對性：“其本亂而末治者，否矣”—— 如果修身這個根本被破壞，內在的德性沒有涵養完成，卻想要實現齊家、治國、平天下的目標，這是絕對不可能成立的；就像樹木的根部已經腐爛，卻想要讓它枝繁葉茂，開花結果，這完全是不切實際的幻想。

Zhu Xi demonstrated the pivotal status of self-cultivation from the two dimensions of substance-and-function and root-and-branch. From the substance-and-function dimension, inner virtue cultivation is the “substance” (體ti), the fundamental basis of moral value; external social enterprise is the “function” (用yong), the natural manifestation of moral value. Without self-cultivation as the connection point, inner virtue cannot be transformed into effective external practice, and external enterprise will lose its solid value support. Only by completing self-cultivation can the value of inner bright virtue naturally flow and be exhibited in external practice. From the root-and-branch dimension, self-cultivation is the “root,” the core foundation of all social enterprise; regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world are the “branches,” the external results generated by self-cultivation. Zhu Xi, in a tone of absolute resolution, emphasized the absoluteness of this logic: “If the root is in disorder, yet the branches are well-ordered, this is impossible.” If the root of self-cultivation is damaged, and inner virtue has not been nurtured to completion, yet one wishes to achieve the goals of regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, this can never happen. It is like a tree whose roots are already rotten, yet one wishes it to have luxuriant branches and leaves and to blossom and bear fruit—this is an utterly impractical fantasy.

這一樞紐地位的本質，是 “修德” 的價值貫通：內聖工夫是修德的內在完成，外王事業是修德的外在延伸。在朱熹的思想中，修德從來不是個人層面的私事，而是具有強烈的社會政治價值的公共事業：一個人通過內聖工夫修成了明德，其德性必然會自然流露，影響到身邊的人，進而影響到整個社會、整個國家；而社會、國家的治理效果，本質上是統治者、社會個體德性水平的直接投射。

The essence of this pivotal status is the value integration of “cultivating virtue.” Inner sage work is the inner completion of cultivating virtue; outer kingly enterprise is the outward extension of cultivating virtue. In Zhu Xi’s thought, cultivating virtue is never merely a personal private matter but is a public enterprise with powerful socio-political value. When a person accomplishes bright virtue through inner sage work, that virtue will inevitably flow forth naturally, influencing those nearby, and then extending to the entire society and the whole state. The governance outcomes of society and the state are, in essence, a direct projection of the level of virtue of the rulers and individual members of society.

3.4 外王維度：修齊治平的成德推擴實踐

3.4 The Outer King Dimension: The Practice of Achieving Virtue and Its Extension in Cultivation, Regulation, Ordering, and Peace

修身的樞紐作用，是將內在德性向外推擴，轉化為齊家、治國、平天下的外王實踐，這是修德的價值展現維度。與內聖工夫的由外而內、聚焦心性涵養不同，外王實踐的邏輯是由近及遠、由個體向社會逐步推擴，其每一個環節的實踐，都必須以修德為根本前提。

The pivotal role of self-cultivation is to extend inner virtue outward, transforming it into the outer kingly practice of regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. This is the value manifestation dimension of cultivating virtue. Unlike the inner sage work that moves from the outside in and focuses on mind-and-nature cultivation, the logic of outer kingly practice moves from the near to the far, progressively extending from the individual to society, with each link’s practice necessarily taking cultivating virtue as its fundamental premise.

“齊家” 是外王實踐的第一個環節，是修德在家庭人倫層面的直接落地。家庭是社會的基本細胞，也是連接個人修身與社會治理的天然橋樑；在朱熹看來，家庭人倫是人的最基本的道德關係，也是修德的最基礎的實踐場所：一個人如果能夠在家庭中做到事親以孝、事兄以悌、對待家人以仁讓，將家庭關係整治得和睦有序，那麼他的德性就已經完成了最基礎的外推；反之，如果一個人連最基礎的家庭人倫都無法處理妥當，連家人都無法感化，那麼他就沒有足夠的德性基礎去治理國家、教化百姓。朱熹進一步指出，齊家的核心邏輯，是將修身所成的德性，運用到家庭人倫的處理中，用自身的德行感化家人，使全家上下都能受到德性的感化，達成道德上的共同提升；這也是《大學》中 “不出家而成教於國” 的底層邏輯 —— 家庭中的孝悌美德，會自然轉化為社會、國家中的忠順美德，為後續的治國實踐打下紮實的基礎。

“Regulating the family” is the first link of outer kingly practice, the direct landing of cultivating virtue at the level of family human relations. The family is the basic cell of society and the natural bridge connecting individual self-cultivation with social governance. In Zhu Xi’s view, family human relations are the most fundamental moral relations of humans, and also the most basic site of practice for cultivating virtue. If a person can, within the family, serve parents with filial piety, serve elder brothers with brotherly respect, and treat family members with humaneness and deference, regulating family relations to be harmonious and orderly, then his virtue has already accomplished the most basic outward extension. Conversely, if a person cannot even handle the most basic family human relations properly, and cannot even influence his own family members, then he lacks the sufficient virtue foundation to order the state and transform the people. Zhu Xi further pointed out that the core logic of regulating the family is to apply the virtue accomplished through self-cultivation to the handling of family human relations, influencing family members with one’s own virtuous conduct, enabling the entire family, superiors and subordinates alike, to be transformed by the influence of virtue, achieving a common moral elevation. This is also the underlying logic of the Great Learning’s statement: “Without leaving the family, one’s teaching is completed for the state.” The virtues of filial piety and brotherly respect in the family will naturally transform into the virtues of loyalty and obedience in society and the state, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent practice of governing the state.

“治國” 是外王實踐的第二個環節，是修德在國家政治層面的落位。在朱熹看來，治國的本質，是將齊家的德治邏輯，進一步推擴到整個國家的治理中。統治者的德性修養，是決定國家治理效果的最核心因素：統治者如果修養德性，能在家庭中踐行孝悌仁讓的規範，就能將這種德性延伸到國家治理中，施行德治仁政，善待百姓，減輕賦稅，教化民眾；反之，如果統治者自身沒有德性，不能在家庭中踐行倫理規範，卻想要治理好國家、讓百姓服從管理，這是絕對不可能實現的。朱熹特彆強調，治國的關鍵在於 “以己化人”，也就是將自身的德性修養轉化為對百姓的道德教化：統治者要先端正自身的道德行為，成為百姓效法的道德榜樣；然後通過教化的手段，引導百姓去惡向善，提升全社會的德性水平，實現國家的長治久安。

“Governing the state” is the second link of outer kingly practice, the placement of cultivating virtue at the level of state governance. In Zhu Xi’s view, the essence of governing the state is to further extend the logic of ordering the family through virtue to the governance of the entire state. The virtue cultivation of the ruler is the most core factor determining the effectiveness of state governance. If the ruler cultivates virtue and can practice the norms of filial piety, brotherly respect, humaneness, and deference within the family, he can then extend this virtue to state governance, implementing virtuous rule and humane government, treating the people kindly, reducing taxes, and transforming the people through education. On the other hand, if the ruler himself lacks virtue and cannot practice ethical norms in his family, yet wishes to order the state well and make the people submit to governance, this is absolutely impossible. Zhu Xi particularly emphasized that the key to governing the state is “transforming others through oneself,” that is, transforming one’s own virtue cultivation into moral education for the people. The ruler must first rectify his own moral conduct, becoming a moral model for the people to emulate; then, through the means of education, guide the people to abandon evil and turn toward goodness, elevating the virtue level of the whole society and achieving long-term stability of the state.

“平天下” 是外王實踐的最終環節，是修德在天下公共治理層面的終極展現。朱熹將 “平天下” 解讀為 “明明德於天下”—— 不是通過武力征伐、強權壓制來統一天下，而是通過自身德性的無限推擴，感化天下的百姓，讓全天下的人都能明見自己本具的明德，實現天下的太平和諧。這一治理邏輯的核心，是《大學》所提出的 “絜矩之道”：這是一種以自身的道德感受為基準、推己及人的公共處事原則，自己厭惡上級的不良對待方式，就不要以同樣的方式對待下級；自己厭惡下級的不良表現，就不要以同樣的方式對待上級；通過這種推己及人的方式，讓天下人都能各得其所、各安其分，最終實現公共秩序的完美規整。而絜矩之道的實現前提，依然是修德：只有先修好自身的德性，具備換位思考、剋制私慾、秉持公道的道德能力，才能真正推行絜矩之道，實現天下平治的理想。

“Bringing peace to the world” is the final link of outer kingly practice, the ultimate manifestation of cultivating virtue at the level of public governance for all under heaven. Zhu Xi interpreted “bringing peace to the world” as “making bright virtue manifest in the world.” This is not the unification of the world through military conquest or coercive suppression, but through the limitless extension of one’s own virtue, transforming the people of the world, enabling everyone under heaven to illuminate their own inherent bright virtue, thereby realizing the peace and harmony of the world. The core of this governance logic is the “Way of the measuring square”(The Principle of Reciprocal Treatment Measured by One’s Own Feelings) (絜矩之道xieju zhi dao) proposed by the Great Learning: a principle of public conduct based on one’s own moral feelings, extended to others. If one dislikes how a superior treats oneself badly, do not treat one’s subordinates in the same way; if one dislikes how a subordinate behaves toward oneself badly, do not treat one’s superior in the same way. Through this method of extending from oneself to others, let all people under heaven each obtain their proper place and each rest in their proper lot, ultimately achieving the perfect ordering of the public order. The precondition for implementing the Way of the measuring square remains cultivating virtue: only by first cultivating one’s own virtue well, possessing the moral capacity for empathy, restraining selfish desires, and upholding the public good, can one truly implement the Way of the measuring square and realize the ideal of a world at peace.

通過這樣的實踐次第，朱熹將 “修德為本” 的邏輯，從個人的心性修養，一直貫通到天下公共治理的終極層面：內聖工夫是修德的向內落實，外王事業是修德的向外延伸；整個《大學》八條目，不是割裂的修養步驟，而是以修德為根本、閉環自洽的完整道德實踐體系。

Through such a practical sequence, Zhu Xi threaded the logic of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” from individual mind-and-nature cultivation all the way through to the ultimate dimension of public governance for all under heaven. Inner sage work is the inward implementation of cultivating virtue; outer kingly cause is its outward extension. The entire eight items of the Great Learning are not fragmented cultivation steps but a complete, closed-loop, self-consistent system of moral practice with cultivating virtue as the root.

四、合理性證成：本體、工夫、倫理的三重義理支撐

4. Justification of Legitimacy: The Threefold Doctrinal Support from Ontology, Praxis, and Ethics

朱熹以二程 “入德之門” 為學術原點、以《大學》八條目為實踐框架建構的 “修德為本” 思想，並非單純的道德呼籲或政治建議，而是擁有本體論、工夫論、政治倫理三重義理支撐的完整學說，具備邏輯自洽的道德合理性。

The thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” that Zhu Xi constructed, using the Cheng brothers’ “gate of entering virtue” as the academic origin and the eight items of the Great Learning as the practical framework, is not a mere moral appeal or political suggestion. It is a complete doctrine supported by the threefold doctrinal pillars of ontology, praxis, and political ethics, and it possesses logically self-consistent moral legitimacy.

4.1 本體論支撐：性理之具與明德之復

4.1 Ontological Support: The Endowment of Nature-as-Principle and the Restoration of Bright Virtue

“修德為本” 的終極合理性，源自朱熹的本體論架構：德性是天理在人身上的落實，修德是人順承天理、回歸本然性命的必然要求。朱熹繼承了二程 “性即理” 的核心命題，並進一步以 “理一分殊” 的概念闡釋了天理與人性的關係：統體的天理是唯一的、完整的，它落實到每一個具體的人身上，就形成了每個人獨有的天命之性；就像天上的月亮只有一個，卻會完整地映照在萬千條河流中，每人身上的天命之性，都是完整天理的具體化，二者在本質上完全相通。

The ultimate legitimacy of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” originates from Zhu Xi’s ontological framework: virtue is the implementation of heavenly principle in humans, and cultivating virtue is the necessary requirement for humans to comply with heavenly principle and return to their original nature. Zhu Xi inherited the core proposition of the Cheng brothers that “nature is principle” and further expounded the relationship between heavenly principle and human nature with the concept of “principle is one, but its manifestations are many” (理一分殊li yi fen shu). The unitary heavenly principle is unique and complete; when it falls into each specific person, it forms that person’s unique heaven-endowed nature. It is like the single moon in the sky fully reflecting in thousands of rivers; the heaven-endowed nature in each person is a concrete instantiation of the complete heavenly principle, and the two are fully interconnected in essence.

在這一架構中，“明德” 是天理在人身上的直接顯現，是人的本質規定性，這就從存有論層面，徹底論證了修德的絕對必要性：天理是世間萬物的最高決定依據，是絕對至善的終極本體；而修德的本質，就是通過後天的修養工夫，祛除氣稟物慾的遮蔽，將自身稟賦的天理 —— 也就是明德 —— 充分、完整地彰顯出來，實現與天理的完全合一。這不是人類社會後天約定的道德規範，不是由某個人、某個群體的主觀意志決定的行為準則，而是上天賦予人的本質使命，是人性的必然要求；人如果不修德，就等於主動放棄了自己的天命之性，背離了天理的方向，失去了作為道德存在者的價值依據。

In this architecture, “bright virtue” is the direct manifestation of heavenly principle in humans, the essential defining nature of human beings. This ontologically establishes the absolute necessity of cultivating virtue from the existential level. Heavenly principle is the highest determining ground of all things in the world, the ultimate substance of absolute goodness. The essence of cultivating virtue is to, through postnatal cultivation work, eliminate the obscurations of vital force and material desires, fully and completely manifest the heavenly principle endowed in oneself—that is, bright virtue—and achieve complete unity with heavenly principle. This is not a moral norm artificially agreed upon by human society, not a behavioral standard determined by the subjective will of any person or group, but an essential mission endowed by heaven, the necessary requirement of human nature. If a person does not cultivate virtue, it is tantamount to actively abandoning one’s own heaven-endowed nature, deviating from the direction of heavenly principle, and losing the value basis for existing as a moral being.

朱熹進一步通過區分 “道心” 與 “人心”，強化了這一論證的現實針對性：道心是源自天命之性的道德意識，是純粹至善的；人心是源自形生氣稟的感性慾望，是有善有惡的。對於現實中的人來說，道心往往被人心的私慾所遮蔽，難以直接顯現；只有通過修德的工夫，持續存養道心、剋制人心，才能讓道心成為自身意識的主宰，完全回歸天理的方向。這一邏輯的核心是將修德的道德要求，轉化為源自宇宙本體、人性本質的先天使命：修德不是外在的負擔，而是人遵從天理、實現自身價值的必經途徑；這一存有論的論證，為 “修德為本” 提供了堅如磐石的終極合理性基礎。

Zhu Xi further strengthened the realistic pertinence of this argument by distinguishing between the “mind of the Way” (daoxin道心) and the “human mind” (人心renxin). The mind of the Way is the moral consciousness originating from the heaven-endowed nature, purely and absolutely good. The human mind is the sensory desire originating from the physical form and vital force endowment, which can be good or evil. For actual human beings, the mind of the Way is often obscured by the selfish desires of the human mind and finds it difficult to manifest directly. Only through the work of cultivating virtue, continuously preserving the mind of the Way and restraining the human mind, can one allow the mind of the Way to become the master of one’s own consciousness and completely return to the direction of heavenly principle. The core of this logic is to transform the moral requirement of cultivating virtue into an innate mission originating from the cosmic substance and human nature. Cultivating virtue is not an external burden but the inevitable path for humans to comply with heavenly principle and realize their own value. This ontological argument provides an unshakably solid foundation of ultimate legitimacy for “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation.”

4.2 工夫論支撐：入道成德與內外交養

4.2 Praxeological Support: Entering the Way of sagehood to Achieve Virtue and the Mutual Nourishment of Inner and Outer

“修德為本” 的實踐合理性，源自程朱一系的 “入道成德”工夫論 —— 這是一套由格物致知、主敬涵養相輔相成的完整體系，保證了修德的過程有次第、可操作，能夠真正實現德性的養成與回歸。朱熹承接二程的思想，將修身工夫劃分為 “入道” 與 “成德” 兩個不可分割的維度，二者互為前提、交相為助，共同支撐起完整的修德實踐。

The practical legitimacy of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” originates from the Cheng-Zhu school’s theory of praxis (工夫論gongfu lun) of “entering the Way of sagehood and achieving virtue.” This is a complete system in which investigating things and extending knowledge and abiding in reverence and nourishing the self-complement each other, ensuring that the process of cultivating virtue has a sequence, is actionable, and can truly realize the cultivation and restoration of virtue. Inheriting the Cheng brothers’ thought, Zhu Xi divided self-cultivation work into the two inseparable dimensions of “entering the Way of sagehood” and “achieving virtue.” The two mutually premise and assist each other, jointly supporting a complete practice of cultivating virtue.

“入道” 維度，是指由自然生命跨入道德生命的基礎階段，這一維度以格物致知為第一義工夫。在朱熹看來，常人受到氣稟物慾的遮蔽，普遍缺乏對道德之理的自覺認知，分不清善惡的標準，甚至會將感性慾望當作道德準則。在這種情況下，直接進行主敬涵養的內聖工夫，是沒有任何效果的 —— 即便勉強去做，也會因為缺少明確的理論引導，陷入空寂的誤區，甚至養成一個 “知覺形氣” 的錯誤道德狀態。因此，必須首先通過格物致知的工夫，接觸外在事物、窮究其中的天理，開明自己的心術，清晰認識善惡的標準、天理的內涵；只有完成這一階段，人才能從自然生命的懵懂狀態中解脫出來，獲得明確的道德認知，真正踏入道德生命的門徑。

The “entering the Way of sagehood” dimension refers to the foundational stage of crossing from natural life into moral life. This dimension takes investigating things and extending knowledge as the first-principle work. In Zhu Xi’s view, ordinary people, obscured by vital force and material desires, generally lack conscious cognition of the principles of morality, cannot distinguish the standards of good and evil, and may even take sensory desires as moral standards. In such a state, directly undertaking the inner sage work of abiding in reverence and nourishing the self has no effect—even if one forces it, lacking clear theoretical guidance, one will fall into the pitfall of emptiness and may even cultivate an erroneous moral state of “perceiving the physical form and vital force.” Therefore, one must first, through the work of investigating things and extending knowledge, engage with external things, exhaustively investigate the heavenly principle within them, open up one’s own mental capacity, and clearly recognize the standards of good and evil and the content of heavenly principle. Only after completing this stage can one break free from the ignorant state of natural life, acquire clear moral cognition, and truly step through the gate of moral life.

“成德” 維度，是指切己自得、真正成就完滿道德人格的階段，這一維度以主敬涵養為第一義工夫。在朱熹看來，格物致知雖然是道德實踐的基礎，但它本質上屬於認知層面的工夫，只是明確了道德的方向，並沒有將道德價值真正內化為自身的德性；如果只停留在格物致知的認知階段，即便對天理的認知足夠清晰，也只是空洞的知識，不會對人格產生任何實際改變。而主敬涵養的工夫，正是將外在認知轉化為內在德性的關鍵環節：主敬涵養，是指在內心保持敬畏、收斂、警醒的狀態，在寂然不動的未髮狀態下存養自己的天命之性，在接事應物的已發過程中警醒自己的意念，讓每一個念頭、每一次實踐都完全符合天理的要求；通過這種持續的存養工夫，人才能將格物致知獲得的道德認知，內化為穩定的道德品格，真正實現德性的圓滿成就。

The “achieving virtue” dimension refers to the stage of truly accomplishing a complete moral personality through personal, experiential realization. This dimension takes abiding in reverence and nourishing the self as the first-principle work. In Zhu Xi’s view, although investigating things and extending knowledge is the foundation of moral practice, it essentially belongs to work at the cognitive level, merely clarifying the direction of morality without truly internalizing moral value as one’s own virtue. If one only stays at the cognitive stage of investigating things and extending knowledge, even if one’s cognition of heavenly principle is clear enough, it remains empty knowledge and will not bring about any actual change in personality. The work of abiding in reverence and nourishing the self is precisely the crucial link that transforms external cognition into inner virtue. Abiding in reverence and nourishing the self means maintaining a state of awe, convergence, and vigilance within the mind, preserving and nourishing one’s heaven-endowed nature in the unaroused state of stillness, and alerting one’s intentions in the aroused state of engaging with affairs, allowing every incipient thought and every practice to fully comply with the requirements of heavenly principle. Through this continuous work of preservation and nourishment, one can internalize the moral cognition obtained from investigating things and extending knowledge into a stable moral character, truly achieving the complete perfection of virtue.

朱熹特彆強調，這兩種工夫不是先後割裂、非此即彼的關係，而是在實踐中互相支撐、缺一不可的有機整體：格物致知為主敬涵養提供明確的理論引導，讓涵養工夫不會陷入盲目；主敬涵養為格物致知提供端正的實踐基礎，讓窮理的過程不會流於空談。二者的有機配合，保證了修德的過程是循循有序、由知入行的完整過程，從工夫論層面論證了 “修德為本” 的實踐可行性，避免了道德實踐走向頓悟空疏或盲目向外求知的兩個極端。

Zhu Xi particularly emphasized that these two types of work are not in a relationship of sequential separation or mutual exclusivity, but form an organic whole that mutually supports and is indispensable in practice. Investigating things and extending knowledge provides clear theoretical guidance for abiding in reverence and nourishing the self, preventing the nourishing work from falling into blindness. Abiding in reverence and nourishing the self provides an upright practical foundation for investigating things and extending knowledge, preventing the process of exhaustively investigating principle from degenerating into empty talk. The organic coordination of the two ensures that the process of cultivating virtue is a complete process that follows an orderly sequence and proceeds from knowledge to action. From the level of praxeology, it demonstrates the practical feasibility of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation,” avoiding the two extremes of moral practice veering into sudden enlightenment and emptiness or blind outward pursuit of knowledge.

4.3 政治倫理支撐：本末之序與德禮之治

4.3 Political-Ethical Support: The Order of Root and Branch and Governance by Virtue and Rites

“修德為本” 的社會政治合理性，源自《大學》“德本財末”“修齊治平” 的政治倫理邏輯 —— 這是一套將個人道德修養與社會治理、國家命運緊密綁定的理論體系，為現實中的政治實踐提供了明確的價值準則。

The socio-political legitimacy of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” originates from the political-ethical logic of the Great Learning: “virtue is the root, wealth is the branch” and “cultivation, regulation, ordering, peace.” This is a theoretical system that tightly binds individual moral cultivation to social governance and the fate of the state, providing clear value criteria for actual political practice.

這一政治倫理的核心，是《大學》所反覆強調的 “本末有序” 關係：在社會治理的整個體系中，修德是決定治理效果的根本因素，財利、制度、刑罰等所有其他治理手段，都只是依傍根本而存在的末節。朱熹完全繼承了《大學》“德者本也，財者末也” 的論斷，他並不否認財利、經濟在社會治理中的重要性，但明確強調，財利的獲取、經濟的發展，必須以德性為根本前提，不能脫離德性的引導而獨立追求；統治者只有先修養德性，施行德治仁政，贏得民眾的擁戴，讓百姓安居樂業、擁有穩定的生業，才能真正實現國家經濟的持久發展，保障國家的財政收入。如果統治者顛倒本末，將財利作為治理國家的根本目標，忽視自身的德性修養，忽視對百姓的道德教化，一味聚斂財富，就會徹底失去民心，導致社會矛盾激化，最終落得 “財聚則民散” 的亡國下場。

The core of this political ethics is the relationship of “ordered root and branch” repeatedly emphasized by the Great Learning: within the entire system of social governance, cultivating virtue is the fundamental factor determining governance effectiveness; all other means of governance, such as wealth, institutions, and punishments, are merely the branches that depend on the root for their existence. Zhu Xi fully inherited the Great Learning’s dictum “Virtue is the root; wealth is the branch.” He did not deny the importance of wealth and economy in social governance but clearly emphasized that the acquisition of wealth and economic development must take virtue as the fundamental premise and cannot be pursued independently, detached from the guidance of virtue. Only if the ruler first cultivates virtue, implements virtuous governance and humane policies, wins the support of the people, and allows them to live peacefully, work happily, and possess stable livelihoods, can the state truly achieve lasting economic development and secure its fiscal revenue. If the ruler inverts root and branch, takes wealth as the fundamental goal of state governance, neglects his own virtue cultivation, neglects the moral education of the people, and solely amasses wealth, he will completely lose the hearts of the people, leading to the intensification of social contradictions and ultimately the ruinous outcome of “when wealth is gathered, the people scatter.”

從治理實踐的層面看，朱熹將 “修德為本” 的邏輯，轉化為 “以德化民” 的具體治理路徑，這是一種將道德教化置於治理核心位置的政治倫理。在他看來，統治者的德性修養，是決定國家治理效果的最核心因素：統治者如果修養德性，就能通過 “絜矩之道”，推己及人，善待百姓，減輕賦稅，施行仁政，用自身的德行感化民眾；反之，如果統治者自身沒有德性，即便制定嚴苛的法律、動用刑罰手段，也無法讓百姓真正心悅誠服，反而會激化社會矛盾，導致更多的社會問題。在此基礎上，朱熹進一步區分了 “德禮” 與 “政刑” 的關係：德禮是治理國家的根本，是從根本上教化百姓、引導百姓向善的治本手段；政刑是治理國家的末節，是約束百姓行為、震懾犯罪的治標手段。二者並非對立關係，而是本末配合的關係 —— 必須以德禮為根本前提，先通過道德教化提升民眾的德性水平，再以政刑作為輔助手段，治理少數不服從教化的人；如果捨棄德禮這一根本，只依靠政刑進行治理，即便能夠在短時間內維持秩序，也無法實現長治久安，社會的道德水平只會持續下滑，最終陷入治理危機。

From the perspective of governance practice, Zhu Xi transformed the logic of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” into the concrete governance path of “transforming the people through virtue.” This is a political ethic that places moral education at the core of governance. In his view, the ruler’s virtue cultivation is the most central factor determining the effectiveness of state governance. If the ruler cultivates virtue, he can, through the “Way of the measuring square(The Principle of Reciprocal Treatment Measured by One’s Own Feelings),” extend himself to others, treat the people kindly, reduce taxes, implement humane governance, and influence the populace with his own virtuous conduct. Conversely, if the ruler himself lacks virtue, even if he enacts strict laws and employs penal means, he cannot make the people truly submit with heartfelt conviction; rather, this will intensify social conflicts and lead to more problems. On this basis, Zhu Xi further distinguished the relationship between “virtue and rites” (德禮de li) and “governance and punishment” (政刑zheng xing). Virtue and rites are the root of governing the state, the fundamental means of addressing the source by transforming the people and guiding them toward goodness. Governance and punishment are the branch, the means of addressing the symptoms by restraining the people’s behavior and deterring crime. The two are not in an oppositional relationship but a cooperative one of root and branch. One must take virtue and rites as the fundamental premise, first elevating the people’s level of virtue through moral education, and then use governance and punishment as auxiliary means to deal with the minority who do not submit to education. If one abandons the root of virtue and rites and relies solely on governance and punishment for governance, even if order can be maintained in the short term, long-term stability and peace cannot be achieved; the moral level of society will only continuously decline, eventually falling into a governance crisis.

這一整套政治倫理，將修德從單純的個人道德要求，上升為關乎國家存亡、社會興衰的政治根本原則，也為 “修德為本” 思想提供了堅實的現實政治支撐：在朱熹的邏輯中，無論是個人的安身立命，還是家庭的和睦、國家的治理、天下的太平，最終都要依賴修德這一根本；背離這一根本，所有的發展目標都會失去基礎。

This entire political ethics elevates cultivating virtue from a mere personal moral requirement to a fundamental political principle concerning the survival of the state and the rise and fall of society, and it also provides solid, realistic political support for the thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation.” In Zhu Xi’s logic, whether it is the individual’s settling of the self and establishing of destiny, the harmony of the family, the ordering of the state, or the peace of the world, everything ultimately depends on this single root of cultivating virtue. Deviating from this root, all developmental goals will lose their foundation.

五、價值闡發：歷史地位與當代啟示

5. Value Elucidation: Historical Status and Contemporary Inspiration

朱熹以二程 “入德之門” 為基礎、以《大學》八條目為框架建構的 “修德為本” 思想，是中國傳統儒家德性倫理的集大成成果，不僅深刻影響了中國古代後期數百年的社會文化走向，也對當代社會的道德建設、國家治理具有重要的借鑒價值。

Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation,” constructed on the basis of the Cheng brothers’ “gate of entering virtue” and with the eight items of the Great Learning as its framework, is the culminating achievement of the traditional Chinese Confucian virtue ethics. It not only profoundly influenced the direction of social culture in late imperial China for hundreds of years but also possesses significant reference value for the moral construction and state governance of contemporary society.

5.1 歷史地位：儒家德性傳統的理學重構

5.1 Historical Status: The Neo-Confucian Reconstruction of the Confucian Virtue Tradition

從儒家思想發展的歷史脈絡來看，朱熹 “修德為本” 思想的核心歷史價值，是完成了孔孟儒家德性傳統的理學化重構，將原本側重於個人感悟、日常實踐的先秦修身思想，轉化為一套擁有完整本體論、工夫論、政治倫理支撐的嚴密理論體系，解決了儒家德性思想在佛道挑戰下的理論危機。

Viewed from the historical trajectory of Confucian thought, the core historical value of Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” is that it completed the Neo-Confucian reconstruction of the Confucian virtue tradition of Confucius and Mencius. It transformed the pre-Qin self-cultivation thought, which originally emphasized personal realization and daily practice, into a rigorous theoretical system supported by a complete ontology, praxeology, and political ethics, resolving the theoretical crisis faced by Confucian virtue thought under the challenges of Buddhism and Daoism.

在先秦儒家的經典論述中，修身一直是核心議題：孔子提出 “為政以德”，強調統治者的德行修養是國家治理的基礎；孟子提出 “天下國家之本在身”，將個人修身視為社會治理的前提；《大學》在此基礎上總結出 “修齊治平” 的完整實踐次第，明確了 “修身為本” 的核心邏輯。但在漢唐時期，儒家的德性思想長期停留在政治實踐、日常倫理的層面，缺少形而上的本體論支撐：它沒有從宇宙論、心性論的角度說清楚人為什麼要修德、修德的內在依據是什麼，也沒有建構出一套循序漸進、可操作的完整修養工夫。與此同時，佛道二教在當時的思想界佔據了重要地位：佛教提出 “萬法皆空”，將現實世界視為虛幻的存在，將修道的重點置於否定現實世界的涅槃解脫上；道教則強調修仙得道、長生不老，將修道的重點置於個人的出世修鍊上。二者都將道德修養置於次要位置，甚至將其視為出世修鍊的牽絆；這對儒家的德性傳統構成了嚴峻挑戰 —— 很多當時的思想精英都被佛道吸引，開始追求出世修鍊，不再重視現實社會中的道德修養，直接衝擊了儒家倫理的核心地位，也導致了社會道德規範的弱化。

In the classical expositions of pre-Qin Confucianism, self-cultivation had always been a core topic. Confucius advocated “governing through virtue,” emphasizing that the ruler’s virtue cultivation is the foundation of state governance. Mencius proposed that “the foundation of the world lies in the state, the foundation of the state lies in the family, the foundation of the family lies in the person,” regarding personal self-cultivation as the prerequisite for social governance. On this basis, the Great Learning summarized the complete practical sequence of “cultivation, regulation, ordering, peace,” clarifying the core logic of “self-cultivation as the root.” However, during the Han and Tang dynasties, Confucian virtue thought long remained at the level of political practice and daily ethics, lacking metaphysical ontological support. It failed to explain, from the perspectives of cosmology and mind-and-nature theory, why humans should cultivate virtue and what the inner basis for cultivating virtue is, nor did it construct a systematic, actionable, and complete praxeology. At the same time, Buddhism and Daoism held significant positions in the intellectual world. Buddhism proposed that “all phenomena are empty,” viewing the real world as illusory existence and placing the focus of cultivation on nirvana liberation through negating the real world. Daoism emphasized attaining immortality and long life through cultivation, placing the focus of cultivation on individual world-transcending practice. Both relegated moral cultivation to a secondary position, even viewing it as an entanglement hindering world-transcending cultivation. This posed a severe challenge to the Confucian virtue tradition—many intellectual elites of the time were attracted to Buddhism and Daoism, began to pursue world-transcending cultivation, and no longer valued moral cultivation in real society. This directly impacted the core status of Confucian ethics and led to the weakening of social moral norms.

面對這一思想危機，二程首先豎起了復興儒學的大旗，通過《大學》“入德之門” 的經典定位，重新確立了儒家德性修養的經典權威，將《大學》從普通的禮學文獻中拯救出來，作為對抗佛道思想的核心典籍。朱熹則在二程的基礎上，進一步完成了系統性的重構：他以 “理” 為核心，構建起貫通宇宙、心性、政治與日常實踐的完整哲學體系，將修德與宇宙終極的天理結合起來，為儒家德性傳統提供了堅實的形而上支撐；他又以《大學》八條目為核心，搭建起由格物致知到修身、再到治國平天下的完整實踐框架，明確了修德的具體工夫與遞進次第，把這一抽象的道德原則，轉化為普通人可以在日常實踐中循序漸進、長期堅持的修養路徑；更重要的是，他通過區分 “道心” 與 “人心”、“天命之性” 與 “氣質之性”，回答了 “人為什麼要修德”“修德的依據是什麼”“如何修德” 等長期困擾儒家的理論問題，將修德從一個簡單的政治道德口號，變成了圓融自洽的理學德性倫理體系。

Facing this intellectual crisis, the Cheng brothers first raised the banner of reviving Confucianism. Through the classical positioning of the Great Learning as “the gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood,” they re-established the classical authority of Confucian virtue cultivation, rescuing the Great Learning from being an ordinary ritual text and making it a core classic to counter Buddhist and Daoist thought. Zhu Xi then, on the foundation laid by the Cheng brothers, further completed a systematic reconstruction. Taking “principle” (理li) as the core, he built a complete philosophical system connecting the cosmos, mind-and-nature, politics, and daily practice, integrating cultivating virtue with the ultimate heavenly principle of the universe and providing solid metaphysical support for the Confucian virtue tradition. Taking the eight items of the Great Learning as the core, he constructed a complete practical framework from investigating things and extending knowledge to self-cultivation and then to governing the state and bringing peace to the world, clarifying the specific work and progressive sequence of cultivating virtue. He transformed this abstract moral principle into a path of cultivation that ordinary people could follow step by step and sustain over the long term in daily practice. More importantly, by distinguishing the “mind of the Way” and the “human mind,” and the “heaven-endowed nature” and the “physical nature,” he answered long-standing theoretical questions that had troubled Confucianism, such as “why should humans cultivate virtue?” “what is the basis for cultivating virtue?” and “how to cultivate virtue?” He transformed cultivating virtue from a simple political-moral slogan into a self-consistent and harmonious Neo-Confucian virtue-ethical system.

這一重構的直接結果，是將《大學》抬到了四書之首的經典位置，將 “修德為本” 確立為後世儒家的核心價值準則。從元代皇慶二年（1313 年）起，朱熹的《四書章句集注》成為科舉考試的官方指定標準讀本，《大學》的邏輯架構成為中國古代士人人格修養和政治實踐的基本遵循；此後近七百年間，所有的知識精英都在這一思想的熏陶下成長，將修德作為安身立命、建功立業的根本原則。這一思想不僅塑造了中國傳統知識分子的 “內聖外王” 理想，也深刻影響了中國古代的社會治理模式、民眾價值觀念，成為中華文明重德傳統的核心理論支撐；它將儒家的道德價值，滲透到從國家政治到家庭日常的每一個角落，讓 “以德為本” 的價值理念，深深紮根在中國的文化傳統中。

The direct result of this reconstruction was the elevation of the Great Learning to the premier position among the Four Books and the establishment of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” as the core value standard for later Confucians. From the second year of the Huangqing(皇慶) era of the Yuan dynasty (1313), Zhu Xi’s Collected Commentaries on the Four Books became the officially designated standard textbook for the civil service examinations. The logical architecture of the Great Learning became the basic guideline for the personality cultivation and political practice of Chinese scholar-officials. For the subsequent nearly seven hundred years, all intellectual elites were nurtured under the influence of this thought, taking cultivating virtue as the fundamental principle for settling the self, establishing destiny, establishing merit, and achieving enterprise. This thought not only shaped the traditional Chinese intellectual’s ideal of “inner sagehood and outer kingship” but also profoundly influenced the social governance model and popular value concepts of ancient China, becoming the core theoretical support for the Chinese civilization’s tradition of valuing virtue. It infused Confucian moral values into every corner, from state politics to daily family life, deeply rooting the value concept of “taking virtue as the foundation” in the Chinese cultural tradition.

5.2 當代啟示：道德建設與治國理政的價值借鑒

5.2 Contemporary Inspiration: Value Reference for Moral Construction and State Governance

朱熹 “修德為本” 的思想，是中華傳統道德文化的精華沉澱，即便在今天，依然折射着深刻的現實光芒，為當代社會的公民道德建設、國家治理體系構建、社會價值觀塑造提供了多維度的借鑒。

Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” is the refined sediment of traditional Chinese moral culture. Even today, it still reflects a profound realistic light, providing multi-dimensional reference for the civic moral construction, the building of the national governance system, and the shaping of social values in contemporary society.

第一，它為當代公民道德建設提供了由知入行、切己務實的修養路徑，指明了道德建設必須從基礎的個體修養入手。朱熹的工夫論明確，修德不是一蹴而就的短期工程，而是要通過格物致知、主敬涵養的長期循序漸進過程：先要通過道德教育，讓普通百姓明晰善惡的標準、懂得道德價值的道理，形成明確的道德認知；再通過日常的實踐引導，讓百姓將道德認知轉化為具體的行為習慣，在待人接物、處理事務的過程中，長期踐行道德規範，持續涵養自己的德性，最終將外在的道德規範內化為穩定的道德品格。這對於解決當代社會普遍存在的道德認知與實踐脫節的知行脫節問題，具有很強的針對性：當代社會，很多人都具備明確的道德認知，知道什麼是善、什麼是惡，但在實際生活中，卻往往因為缺少內在的德性涵養，不願意將認知轉化為實踐，甚至在私慾的引導下做出違背道德的行為。朱熹的修德思想啟示我們，公民道德建設不能只停留在道德知識的宣傳普及上，必須同時重視內在的德性涵養，將理論學習與日常實踐結合起來，引導普通百姓在日常小事中持續踐行道德規範，真正實現由知入行、內外合一的道德養成；與此同時，道德建設必須堅持平等性原則，從天子到庶人，都必須以修身為本，任何人都不能擁有超越道德規範的特權；這對於在全社會強化道德共識、建立良好道德風尚，具有重要的指導意義。

First, it provides a self-cultivation path for contemporary civic moral construction that proceeds from knowledge to action and is both practical and personally relevant, pointing out that moral construction must begin with basic individual cultivation. Zhu Xi’s praxeology makes it clear that cultivating virtue is not a short-term project completed overnight but a long-term, step-by-step process through investigating things, extending knowledge, abiding in reverence, and nourishing the self. One must first, through moral education, allow ordinary people to clearly understand the standards of good and evil and appreciate the principles of moral value, forming clear moral cognition. Then, through daily practical guidance, people must transform moral cognition into concrete behavioral habits, practicing moral norms over the long term in the processes of interacting with others and handling affairs, continuously nourishing their own virtue, and ultimately internalizing external moral norms into stable moral character. This has strong pertinence for addressing the widespread problem of the disconnection between moral knowledge and action in contemporary society. In modern times, many people possess clear moral cognition and know what is good and what is evil, but in actual life, because they lack inner virtue cultivation, they are often unwilling to transform cognition into practice and may even act against morality under the guidance of selfish desires. Zhu Xi’s thought of cultivating virtue reveals to us that civic moral construction cannot stop at the dissemination of moral knowledge but must simultaneously emphasize inner virtue cultivation, integrating theoretical learning with daily practice, guiding ordinary people to continuously practice moral norms in daily small matters, and truly realizing a moral development that proceeds from knowledge to action and integrates inner and outer. At the same time, moral construction must adhere to the principle of equality—from the Son of Heaven down to the common people, all must take self-cultivation as the root, and no one can possess privileges that transcend moral norms. This has important guiding significance for strengthening moral consensus and establishing good moral customs in the whole society.

第二，它為當代國家治理體系構建提供了 “以德化民”“德本刑末” 的價值參考，明確了道德在國家治理中的基礎性地位。朱熹的政治倫理強調，修德是國家治理的根本，治理者自身的德性修養、對百姓的道德教化，是實現國家長治久安的核心前提；德禮是治本的基礎，政刑是治標的輔助，本末不可倒置。這一邏輯，與我國當代提出的 “依法治國與以德治國相結合” 的治理理念具有高度的內在契合性。現代國家治理，既需要法律制度的剛性約束，也需要道德倫理的柔性支撐；法律解決的是違法犯罪後的懲戒問題，道德解決的是思想認識層面的根本自律問題，二者缺一不可。朱熹的修德思想啟示我們，在國家治理過程中，必須重視德性的基礎性價值：一方面，治理者要率先加強自身的道德修養，做到公私分明、克己奉公、以身作則，以自身的道德行為引領社會風氣；另一方面，在完善法律制度的同時，必須強化全社會的道德教化，將道德價值融入法治建設和社會治理的全過程，引導百姓崇德向善，從根源上減少違法犯罪行為，實現標本兼治的長治久安；此外，在制定公共政策、處理公共事務時，要堅持 “絜矩之道”，保持推己及人的同理心，以滿足百姓的普遍需求、保障百姓的根本利益為價值出發點，避免因過度追求經濟指標、忽視民生福祉而導致社會矛盾激化，這也是 “德本財末” 思想在當代治理中的全新轉化。

Second, it provides the value reference of “transforming the people through virtue” and “virtue as root, punishment as branch” for the building of the contemporary national governance system, clarifying the foundational status of morality in state governance. Zhu Xi’s political ethics emphasized that cultivating virtue is the root of state governance; the governor‘s own virtue cultivation and the moral education of the people are the core prerequisites for achieving long-term stability of the state. Virtue and rites are the foundation of addressing the source; governance and punishment are the auxiliary means of addressing the symptoms; root and branch cannot be inverted. This logic has a high degree of inherent compatibility with the contemporary governance concept of “combining the rule of law with the rule of virtue” put forward by our country. Modern state governance requires both the rigid constraint of legal systems and the flexible support of morality and ethics. Law addresses the problem of punishment after violations and crimes; morality addresses the fundamental problem of internal self-discipline on the ideological level; both are indispensable. Zhu Xi’s thought of cultivating virtue reveals that, in the process of national governance, we must pay attention to the foundational value of virtue. On the one hand, governors must take the lead in strengthening their own moral cultivation, achieving clarity on public versus private interests, restraining the self to serve the public, and setting an example by their own conduct, leading social trends with their own moral behavior. On the other hand, while perfecting legal systems, we must strengthen the moral education of the whole society, integrating moral values into the entire process of legal construction and social governance, guiding the people to revere virtue and turn toward goodness, reducing unlawful and criminal behavior at the root, and achieving long-term stability through addressing both symptoms and root causes. Furthermore, when formulating public policies and handling public affairs, we must adhere to the “Way of the measuring square,” maintaining the empathy of extending ourselves to others, taking meeting the general needs of the people and safeguarding their fundamental interests as the value starting point, and avoiding the intensification of social contradictions due to the excessive pursuit of economic indicators and neglect of people’s livelihood and well-being. This is also a contemporary transformation of the thought of “virtue as root, wealth as branch” in modern governance.

第三，它為當代社會正確處理義利關係、重構理性價值觀，提供了 “重義輕利、以義制利” 的經典準則，具有很強的現實針對性。朱熹強調，“德者本也，財者末也”，並不否定財利的合理價值，只是明確義先利後、以義制利的先後邏輯；獲取財利必須以道德為前提，不能違背道義規範，更不能將財利作為人生的根本追求。這對於矯正當代社會過度逐利、道德滑坡的現象，重塑理性、健康的社會價值觀具有重要意義：在市場經濟環境下，人們追求合理的物質利益是正當的，但這一追求必須嚴格限定在法律和道德的框架內，不能為了獲取利益，突破道德底線，甚至觸犯法律；無論是個體的職業活動、企業的生產經營，還是公共部門的權力行使，都必須將道義價值放在首位，見利思義，在道德的引導下合理獲取利益，避免拜金主義、極端利己主義的泛濫，真正實現物質追求與道德精神的雙重平衡，這正是中華傳統重德智慧為當代社會提供的精神滋養。

Third, it provides the classical principle of “valuing rightness and devaluing profit, and regulating profit by rightness” for the correct handling of the relationship between rightness and profit and the reconstruction of rational values in contemporary society, which has strong realistic pertinence. Zhu Xi emphasized that “virtue is the root, wealth is the branch,” not denying the reasonable value of wealth and profit, but only clarifying the sequential logic of rightness first, profit second, and regulating profit by rightness. The acquisition of wealth must take morality as the premise, must not violate the norms of the Way and rightness, and still less should wealth be taken as the fundamental pursuit of life. This has important significance for correcting the phenomenon of excessive profit-seeking and moral decline in contemporary society and for reshaping rational and healthy social values. In a market economy environment, it is legitimate for people to pursue reasonable material interests, but this pursuit must be strictly limited within the framework of law and morality; one must not break through the moral bottom line or even violate the law in order to obtain profit. Whether it is the professional activities of individuals, the production and operation of enterprises, or the exercise of power by public sectors, the value of the Way and rightness must be placed first, considering rightness when seeing profit, reasonably obtaining profit under the guidance of morality, avoiding the rampant spread of money worship and extreme egoism, and truly achieving a dual balance of material pursuit and moral spirit. This is precisely the spiritual nourishment that the traditional Chinese wisdom of valuing virtue provides for contemporary society.

綜上所述，朱熹的 “修德為本” 思想，不是零散的道德觀點或局部的政治主張，而是在繼承二程 “初學入德之門” 學術思想的基礎上，通過系統詮釋《大學》“三綱領八條目” 的完整邏輯，建構起來的一套貫通本體與現象、貫通修養與政治、貫通心性與日用的完整德性倫理體系。這一體系以 “理” 為終極價值本源，以心性論為內在存有依據，以《大學》八條目為遞進實踐框架，以格物致知、主敬涵養為配合工夫，以修齊治平為外推實踐路徑，從本體、工夫、政治倫理三個層面，完整論證了修德作為倫理根本原則的必然性與合理性。

In summary, Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation” is not a scattered collection of moral viewpoints or partial political propositions, but a complete virtue-ethical system, constructed on the basis of inheriting the Cheng brothers’ academic thought of “the gateway of entering virtue realm of sagehood for beginners” and through the systematic interpretation of the complete logic of the Great Learning’s “three guiding principles and eight items.” This system integrates ontology and phenomena, cultivation and politics, and mind-and-nature and daily life. Taking “principle” as the ultimate source of value, the theory of mind-and-nature as the inner existential basis, the eight items of the Great Learning as the progressive practical framework, investigating things and extending knowledge and abiding in reverence and nourishing the self as the coordinated work, and cultivation, regulation, ordering, and peace as the path of outward extension, this system fully demonstrates, from the three levels of ontology, praxis, and political ethics, the necessity and legitimacy of cultivating virtue as the fundamental ethical principle.

從義理結構上看，兩篇原研究報告分工配合、共同支撐起這一思想的全貌：第一篇報告聚焦於 “修德是本” 的基本內涵、經典依據及價值定位，從宏觀層面闡釋了這一思想的核心義理，搭建了思想的基礎價值架構；第二篇報告則深入挖掘其學術譜系、經典文本與邏輯論證細節，承接二程 “入德之門” 的思想淵源，以《大學》八條目為實踐經緯，細緻考證了其 “入道 — 成德 — 推擴” 的完整工夫邏輯，從理論層面證成了這一原則的道德合法性。二者一為宏觀義理闡釋，一為微觀邏輯考證，內容上環環相扣、缺一不可，共同構成了理解朱熹 “修德為本” 思想的完整基礎。

From the perspective of doctrinal structure, the two original research reports divide their labor and jointly support the full picture of this thought. The first report focuses on the basic meaning, classical basis, and value positioning of “cultivating virtue as the root,” explicating the core doctrine of this thought from a macroscopic level and establishing the basic value architecture of the thought. The second report deeply excavates its academic genealogy, classical texts, and details of logical argumentation, inheriting the intellectual origins of the Cheng brothers’ “gate of entering virtue,” taking the eight items of the Great Learning as the practical warp and weft, and meticulously examining the complete work logic of “entering the Way of sagehood—achieving virtue—extending.” It proves the moral legitimacy of this principle from the theoretical level. The former is a macroscopic doctrinal interpretation, the latter a microscopic logical examination; their content is mutually interlocking and indispensable, together constituting a complete foundation for understanding Zhu Xi’s thought of “cultivating virtue as the foundation of moral cultivation.”

朱熹這一思想的核心貢獻，是將 “修德” 這一零散的先秦儒家修身觀念，從簡單的個人實踐要求，提升為上達天理、下貫人倫、連接內聖外王的世界存在的根本倫理原則，完成了儒家德性傳統的理學化重構，將儒家的道德價值，深深嵌入到從個人生活到國家治理的所有實踐層面。在當代社會，這一思想依然是中華傳統道德文化的核心精華，其關於本末先後的價值取捨、關於內在與外在的道德實踐、個人修養與社會治理的辯證關係，對於推動公民道德建設、完善國家治理體系、塑造全社會的理性價值觀念，都具有不可替代的借鑒價值。

The core contribution of Zhu Xi’s thought is that it elevated “cultivating virtue” from a scattered pre-Qin Confucian concept of self-cultivation, from a simple requirement of personal practice, into a fundamental ethical principle of existence in the world—reaching up to heavenly principle, extending down to human relations, and connecting inner sagehood and outer kingship. It completed the Neo-Confucian reconstruction of the Confucian virtue tradition, deeply embedding Confucian moral values into all levels of practice from personal life to state governance. In contemporary society, this thought remains the core essence of traditional Chinese moral culture. Its insights on the value choices between root and branch, the moral practice of inner and outer, and the dialectical relationship between personal cultivation and social governance are of irreplaceable reference value for promoting civic moral construction, perfecting the national governance system, and shaping rational value concepts for the whole society.

其思想邏輯的自洽性與理論的圓融性，也再次印證了中華傳統儒家德性思想的深厚底蘊；而這一思想本身，也成為理解中華文明重德傳統、傳承和發展中華優秀傳統文化的重要理論抓手。

The self-consistency of its logic and the harmony of its theory also once again confirm the profound foundation of the traditional Chinese Confucian virtue-based thought. This thought itself also becomes an important theoretical lever for understanding the Chinese civilization’s tradition of valuing virtue and for inheriting and developing the excellent aspects of traditional Chinese culture.

朱熹修德为本思想；

二程入德之门

大学八条目次第

儒家德性伦理重构

内圣外王与当代启示