子仁问：「『学而时习之，不亦说乎』，先儒以学为效先觉之所为，如何？」
先生曰：「学是学去人欲、存天理；从事于去人欲、存天理，则自正诸先觉，考诸古训，自下许多问辨、思索、存省、克治工夫，然不过欲去此心之人欲，存吾心之天理耳。若曰『效先觉之所为』，则只说得学中一件事，亦似专求诸外了。『时习』者，『坐如尸』，非专习坐也，坐时习此心也；『立如斋』，非专习立也，立时习此心也。『说』是『理义之说我心』之说，人心本自说理义，如目本说色、耳本说声，惟为人欲所蔽、所累，始有不说。今人欲日去，则理义日洽浃，安得不说？」
子仁问：「『学而时习之，不亦说乎』，先儒把学解释为效法先觉者的所为，怎么样？」
先生说：「学是学去人欲、存天理；从事于去人欲、存天理，自然就会求正于先觉者、考证于古训，自然下了许多问辨、思索、存省、克治的功夫，然而不过是要去此心之人欲、存吾心之天理罢了。若说『效法先觉之所为』，只说得出学中的一件事，也似乎专求诸外了。所谓『时习』，『坐如尸』，不是专门练习坐，是坐时修习此心；『立如斋』，不是专门练习站，是站立时修习此心。『说』是『理义悦我心』的悦，人心本来就喜悦理义，如同眼本来喜欢美色、耳本来喜欢声音，只因被人欲遮蔽牵累，才有不悦。如今人欲日去，理义日渐融洽，怎能不悦？」
Ziren asked: 'On learning and timely practice — the earlier scholars took learning as imitating the conduct of the first awakened. How so?'
The Master said: 'Learning is learning to remove human desire and preserve heavenly principle. Engaged in that, one naturally turns to the first awakened for correction and the old teachings for verification, naturally putting in question, discernment, reflection, preservation, mastery — yet all only to remove this mind's desire and preserve its heavenly principle. To say imitate the awakened describes but one item of learning, and seems to seek wholly outside. Timely practice: sitting like a corpse in ritual stillness is not practicing sitting — it is practicing this mind while sitting; standing like one fasting is not practicing standing — it is practicing this mind while standing. The joy is the joy of principle delighting my mind: the mind originally delights in principle as the eye in beauty and the ear in sound; only veiled and burdened by desire does it fail to delight. As desire daily goes and principle daily suffuses, how not be joyful?'