守衡问：「《大学》工夫只是诚意，诚意工夫只是格物。修、齐、治、平，只诚意尽矣。又有正心之功，有所忿懥、好乐则不得其正，何也？」
先生曰：「此要自思得之，知此则知『未发之中』矣。」
守衡再三请。
曰：「为学工夫有浅深。初时若不著实用意去好善、恶恶，如何能为善、去恶？这著实用意便是诚意。然不知心之本体原无一物，一向著意去好善、恶恶，便又多了这分意思，便不是廓然大公。《书》所谓『无有作好、作恶』，方是本体。所以说：『有所忿懥、好乐，则不得其正。』正心只是诚意工夫里面体当自家心体，常要鉴空衡平，这便是『未发之中』。」
守衡问：「《大学》功夫只是诚意，诚意的功夫只是格物。修身、齐家、治国、平天下，一个诚意就包括了。却又有个正心的功夫，说有所愤怒、有所喜好便不得其正，为什么？」
先生说：「这要自己去想明白，知道了这个就知道『未发之中』了。」
守衡再三请教。
先生说：「为学功夫有浅深。起初如果不着实用心去好善、恶恶，怎么能行善去恶？这着实用心便是诚意。但不知道心的本体原无一物，一味用心去好善去恶，便又多了这分意思，便不是廓然大公。《尚书》所谓『不有意为好、不有意为恶』，才是本体。所以说『有所忿懥、好乐，则不得其正』。正心只是诚意功夫里面体察自家心体，常要保持镜空衡平，这便是『未发之中』。」
Shouheng asked: 'The Great Learning's work is only sincerity of intention, and that work is only investigating things — one sincerity covers cultivating the self, ordering the family, governing the state, pacifying the world. Why then is there also rectifying the mind, with anger and fondness disqualifying it?'
The Master said: 'This you must think through yourself; know it and you know the equilibrium before arousal.'
Shouheng pressed repeatedly.
'The work of learning has shallow and deep. At first, without deliberate intent to love good and hate evil, how could one do good and remove evil? That deliberate intent is sincerity of intention. Yet if you do not know the mind's substance originally holds nothing, and forever deliberately love good and hate evil, you have added an extra layer of meaning — no longer vast impartiality. The Documents' not deliberately approving, not deliberately disapproving is the original substance. Hence: with anger or fondness clinging, the mind is not rectified. Rectifying the mind is, within the work of sincerity, attending to your own mind-substance, keeping it ever like the empty mirror and level balance — that is the equilibrium before arousal.'