来书又有云：「人情机诈百出，御之以不疑，往往为所欺；觉则自入于逆亿。夫逆诈，即诈也，亿不信，即非信也。为人欺，又非觉也。不逆、不亿而常先觉，其惟良知莹彻乎？然而出入毫忽之间，背觉合诈者多矣。」
不逆、不意而先觉，此孔子因当时人专以逆诈、亿不信为心，而自陷于诈与不信，又有不逆、不忆者，然不知致良知之功，而往往又为人所欺诈，故有是言，非教人以是存心，而专欲先觉人之诈与不信也。以是存心，即是后世猜忌险薄者之事；而只此一念，已不可与入尧、舜之道矣。不逆、不忆而为人所欺者，尚亦不先为善，但不如能致其良知，而自然先觉者之尤为贤耳。崇一谓「其惟良知莹彻」者，盖已得其旨矣。然亦颖悟所及，恐未实际也，盖良知之在人心，亘万古、塞宇宙而无不同，不虑而知，恒易以知险，不学而能，恒简以知阻，先天而天不违，天且不违，而况于人乎？况于鬼神乎？
夫谓背觉合诈者，是虽不逆人而或未能自欺也，虽不亿人而或未能果自信也，是或常有求先觉之心，而未能常自觉也。常有求先觉之心，即已流于逆、亿而足以自蔽其良知矣，此背觉合诈之所以未免也。君子学以为己，未尝虞人之欺己也，恒不自欺其良知而已；未尝虞人之不信己也恒自信其良知而已；未尝求先觉人之诈与不信也，恒务自觉其良知而已。是故不欺则良知无所伪而诚，诚则明矣；自信则良知无所惑而明，明则诚矣。明、诚相生，是故良知常觉常照；常觉常照则如明镜之悬，而物之来者自不能遁其妍㜐矣。何者？不欺而诚，则无所容其欺，荀有欺焉而觉矣；自信而明[1]，则无所容其不信，苟不信焉而觉矣。是谓易以知险，简以知阻，子思所谓「至诚如神，可以前知」者也。然子思谓「如神」，谓「可以前知」，犹二而言之。是盖推言思诚者之功效，是犹为不能先觉者说也。若就至诚而言，则至诚之妙用，即谓之「神」，不必言「如神」，至诚则「无知而无不知」，不必言「可以前知」矣。
来信又说：「人情机诈百出，用不疑来对待，往往被人欺骗；有所觉察又自陷于逆诈臆不信。逆诈就是诈，臆不信就是不信；被人欺又不是觉。不逆不臆而常先觉，大概只有良知晶莹透彻的人吧？然而出入于毫忽之间、背离觉而投合诈的人多了。」
不逆不臆而先觉，这是孔子因为当时的人专以逆诈臆不信存心，自己陷于诈与不信；又有不逆不臆的人，却因不知致良知的功夫，往往又被人欺诈，所以才这样说。并不是教人拿这个存心、专想去预先觉察别人的诈与不信。拿这个存心，就是后世猜忌险薄之人所做的事；只这一念，就已不可能进入尧舜之道了。不逆不臆而被欺的，也还不失为善，只是不如能致其良知、自然先觉的人更为贤明罢了。崇一所说「其惟良知莹彻」，已得其宗旨；但那还是颖悟所及，恐怕未必是实际。良知之在人心，亘万古、塞宇宙而无不同：不虑而知，恒易以知险；不学而能，恒简以知阻；先天而天不违。天尚不违，何况于人？何况于鬼神？
所谓背觉合诈的人，是虽不逆人而未必不自欺，虽不臆人而未必果真自信，是常有求先觉之心而不能常自觉。常有求先觉之心，就已流于逆、臆，足以遮蔽自己的良知，这是背觉合诈所不能免的原因。君子学以为己，不曾忧虑别人欺骗自己，只是恒不自欺其良知而已；不曾忧虑别人不相信自己，只是恒自信其良知而已；不曾求预先觉察别人的诈与不信，只是恒求自觉其良知而已。所以不欺则良知无所虚伪而诚，诚则明；自信则良知无所惑而明，明则诚。明诚相生，所以良知常觉常照；常觉常照则如明镜高悬，事物之来自然不能遁其美丑了。为什么？不欺而诚，就无所容其欺，稍有欺焉便觉了；自信而明，就无所容其不信，稍有不信焉便觉了。这就是「易以知险，简以知阻」，也就是子思所谓「至诚如神，可以前知」。不过子思说「如神」、说「可以前知」，还是分作两截说，那是推论思诚者的功效，还是为不能先觉的人说的。若就至诚而言，至诚的妙用就叫作「神」，不必说「如神」；至诚则「无知而无不知」，不必说「可以前知」了。
Your letter further says: 'Human deceit takes a hundred shapes: meeting it with unsuspecting trust, one is often cheated; on guard, one falls into surmising deceit and doubting faith. Surmising deceit is itself deceit; doubting good faith, itself faithlessness; being cheated is not awareness either. Not surmising, not doubting, yet ever aware beforehand — that, I suppose, belongs only to one whose innate knowledge is crystal through. Yet between the flicker of a moment, those who turn from awareness and side with deceit are many.'
Not-surmising-not-doubting-yet-aware: Confucius said it because his age set its heart on surmising deceit and doubting faith, sinking itself into deceit and faithlessness; while others who did not surmise, knowing nothing of extending innate knowledge, were often cheated in turn. It was no lesson to store the mind with this and aim at smelling out others' deceit and faithlessness beforehand. To store the mind so is the trade of the suspicious and mean of later ages; that single thought already bars one from the way of Yao and Shun. The not-surmising yet cheated have still not first done ill — only they rank below those who extend innate knowledge and are aware beforehand of themselves. Your the crystal-through of innate knowledge has caught the point; yet it is the catch of quick wit, perhaps not the tasted fact. Innate knowledge in the human mind, through all ages, filling the universe, is everywhere one: knowing without deliberation, ever-easy to know danger; able without learning, ever-simple to know obstruction; prior to heaven, yet heaven does not contradict it. Heaven not contradicting — how much less men? How much less ghosts and spirits?
Those who turn from awareness and side with deceit: not surmising against others, yet perhaps not free of self-deception; not doubting others, yet perhaps not truly self-trusting; ever craving awareness beforehand, yet not ever self-aware. Ever craving awareness beforehand has already slid into surmising and doubting, enough to veil one's own innate knowledge — hence their inability to escape siding with deceit. The noble person learns for his own sake: never anxious lest others cheat him — only never cheating his own innate knowledge; never anxious lest others distrust him — only never distrusting his own innate knowledge; never seeking to sniff out others' deceit and faithlessness — only seeking ever to be aware in his own innate knowledge. Not cheating, innate knowledge is without pretense and hence sincere; sincere, hence bright. Self-trusting, innate knowledge is without doubt and hence bright; bright, hence sincere. Brightness and sincerity beget each other, and innate knowledge is ever aware, ever mirroring: a bright mirror hung on high — whatever comes cannot escape its fair-or-foul. Why? Not cheating and sincere, there is no room for cheating against one — the least cheating is felt; self-trusting and bright, no room for faithlessness — the least faithlessness is felt. That is the easy knowing danger, the simple knowing obstruction — Zisi's utmost sincerity like a spirit, able to know beforehand. Yet Zisi's like a spirit and able to know beforehand still speaks two: expounding the fruit of thinking-sincerity, said for those who cannot yet be aware beforehand. Of utmost sincerity itself, its wondrous working is the spirit — no need of like; utterly sincere, it knows nothing yet nothing it knows not — no need of beforehand.
- 「自信而明」，施本、俞本、德安府南本作「自信而诚」。