崇一来书云：「师云：『德性之良知，非由于闻见，若曰多闻择其善者而从之，多见而识之，则是专求之见闻之末，而已落在第二义。』窃意良知虽不由见闻而有，然学者之知，未尝不由见闻而发；滞于见闻固非，而见闻亦良知之用也。今曰『落在第二义』，恐为专以见闻为学者而言。若致其良知而求之见闻，似亦知、行合一之功矣。如何？」
良知不由见闻而有，而见闻莫非良知之用，故良知不滞于见闻，而亦不离于见闻。孔子云：「吾有知乎哉？无知也。」良知之外，别无知矣。故「致良知」是学问大头脑，是圣人[1]教人第一义。今云专求之见闻之末，则是失却头脑，而已落在第二义矣。近时同志中，盖已莫不知有「致良知」之说，然其功夫尚多鹘突者[2]，正是欠此一问。大抵学问功夫只要主意头脑是当，若主意头脑专以「致良知」为事，则凡多闻、多见，莫非「致良知」之功。盖日用之间，见闻醻酢，虽千头万绪，莫非良知之发用流行；除却见闻醻酢，亦无良知可致矣。故只是一事。若曰致其良知而求之见闻，则语意之间未免为二。此与专求之见闻之末者虽稍不同，其为未得精一之旨，则一而已。「多闻择其善者而从之，多见而识之。」既云择，又云识，其良知[3]亦未尝不行于其间，但其用意[4]乃专在多闻、多见上去择、识，则已失却头脑矣。崇一于此等处见得当已分晓，今日之问，正为发明此学，于同志中极有益。但语意未莹，则毫厘千里，亦不容不精察之也。
崇一来信说：「老师说：『德性之良知不是由于闻见。若说多闻择其善者而从之、多见而识之，那是专求之于见闻之末，已落在第二义。』我私下以为，良知虽不由见闻而有，但学者的知未尝不由见闻而发；滞于见闻固然不对，而见闻也是良知之用。如今说『落在第二义』，恐怕是专对以见闻为学的人说的。若致其良知而于见闻上求，似乎也是知行合一的功夫了。如何？」
良知不由见闻而有，而见闻莫非良知之用，所以良知不滞于见闻，而也不离于见闻。孔子说：「吾有知乎哉？无知也。」良知之外别无知了。所以「致良知」是学问的大头脑，是圣人教人的第一义。如今说专求之见闻之末，那是失掉了头脑，已落在第二义。近来同志中大概已无人不知有「致良知」之说，然而功夫尚多含糊的，正是欠此一问。大抵学问功夫只要主意头脑妥当，若主意头脑专以「致良知」为事，那么多闻多见，莫非「致良知」的功夫。日常之间，见闻酬酢，虽千头万绪，莫非良知的发用流行；除却见闻酬酢，也就没有良知可致了。所以只是一件事。若说致其良知而于见闻上求，语意之间未免分成两个。这与专求之于见闻之末的虽稍有不同，但都未得精一之旨则是一样的。「多闻择其善者而从之，多见而识之」，既说择、又说识，良知也未尝不运行其间，只是那用意专在多闻多见上去择、去识，便已失掉头脑了。崇一在这些地方应当已看得分晓，今日之问正是为发明此学，对同志极有益处。只是语意未透，便差之毫厘谬以千里，也不容不精察。
Chongyi's letter says: 'You say virtue's innate knowledge does not come of hearing and seeing; that hearing much and choosing the good, seeing much and remembering, seeks only the twig-ends of sight and hearsay, second-best. Yet though innate knowledge exists not by sight and hearsay, the learner's knowing surely is triggered by them; sticking in them is wrong, but they are also innate knowledge's use. That it falls to second-best, I take it, is said against those who make sight and hearsay their whole study. To extend innate knowledge and seek it within hearing and seeing seems already the work of knowledge and action united. Is it so?'
Innate knowledge exists not by sight and hearsay, yet sight and hearsay are all its use: it sticks in neither, and departs from neither. Confucius: have I knowledge? I have none. Beyond innate knowledge there is no other knowing. Hence extending innate knowledge is the great head of all learning, the sage's first principle in teaching. To seek solely at the twig-ends of sight and hearsay is to lose the head and fall to second-best. Among our fellows of late hardly any do not know the phrase extending innate knowledge, yet the work of many is still hazy — just for want of this one question. Provided the head of the work is right — the one affair being extending innate knowledge — then hearing much and seeing much are all its work. Daily sight, hearsay and exchange, a thousand threads and ten thousand strands, are all innate knowledge's working and flowing; apart from them there is no innate knowledge to extend. Hence it is one affair only. To say extend innate knowledge and seek it in hearing and seeing still splits the sense in two — differing a little from the twig-end seekers, but equally short of refinement-unity. Hearing much, choose the good and follow; seeing much, remember: with choosing and remembering, innate knowledge too ran through it all — only the intent was set on choosing and remembering upon the much-heard and much-seen, and so the head was lost. You, Chongyi, must see this clearly already; today's question precisely unfolds this learning, of great use to our fellows. But where the sense is not crystal, a hair's miss is a thousand miles: fine examination may not be spared.
- 「圣人」，施本、俞本、德安府南本并作「圣门」。
- 「然其功夫」，施本、俞本、德安府南本并作「然其间功夫」。鹘突：糊涂。
- 「其良知」，德安府南本作「则良知」。
- 「但其用意」，施本、俞本、王本、德安府南本并作「但其立意」。