问：「先生尝谓善、恶只是一物。善、恶两端，如冰、炭相反，如何谓只一物？」
先生曰：「至善者，心之本体。本体上才过当些子，便是恶了；不是有一个善，却又有一个恶来相对也。故善、恶只是一物。」
直因闻先生之说，则知程子所谓「善固性也，恶亦不可不谓之性」。又曰：「善、恶皆天理。谓之恶者，本非恶，但于本性上过与不及之间耳。」其说皆无可疑。
有人问：「先生曾说善与恶只是一物。善恶两端如冰炭相反，怎么说只是一物？」
先生说：「至善，是心的本体。本体上才过当一丝，便是恶了；不是有一个善，又有一个恶来与它相对。所以善恶只是一物。」
我（黄直）因此闻先生之说，便懂得程子所谓「善固性也，恶亦不可不谓之性」，又说「善恶皆天理。谓之恶者，本非恶，只是在本性上过与不及之间罢了」——这些说法都无可疑了。
Someone asked: 'You have said good and evil are one thing only. The two ends are ice to coal — how one thing?'
The Master said: 'The highest good is the mind's substance. The substance exceeded by a hair's breadth is already evil; there is not a good with an evil set over against it. Hence good and evil are one thing.'
I, Huang Zhi, hearing this, understood Chengzi's 'good is surely nature, yet evil too must be called nature' and 'both good and evil are heavenly principle: what is called evil was never evil in itself, only past or short of the original nature' — all beyond doubt now.