Wang Yangming's Understanding of the Unity of Knowing and Doing

Wang Yangming's understanding of the unity of knowing and doing is: knowing is the idea of doing, and doing is the kung fu of knowing. Knowing is the beginning of doing, and doing is the achievement of knowing.

Wang Yangming said that "knowledge" and "action" are integrated in their original meaning, but this integration does not mean that both knowledge and action refer to the same object and are completely the same thing, but emphasizes that they are inseparable, and the provisions of knowledge and action contain each other. "Unity of knowing and doing" can be explained from two aspects.

Wang Yangming put forward "the unity of knowledge and action", the first thing is to correct the wrong understanding of "knowledge" in the world. Ordinary people often regard "conscience" as a kind of rational knowledge, so they will separate "knowing" from "doing". Wang Yangming, on the other hand, thinks that there can be no one who knows but can't do it. They know but can't do it, but they are unknown.

This is the true meaning of Wang Yangming's so-called "knowledge is the beginning of action". Once a person has "true knowledge" about something, he will inevitably have likes and dislikes at the same time. This heart of likes and dislikes is "doing", which is exactly what Wang Yangming said, and this "doing" and "knowing" are integrated.

Wang Yangming

(1472, 1 0,31-1529,19), Han nationality, alias Yun, word Bo 'an, alias Yangming. A native of Yuyao County (now Yuyao, Ningbo), Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province, was named Yangming Zi because he once built a house in Yangming Cave in Huiji Mountain. Scholars call him Mr. Yangming, also known as Wang Yangming.