下学上达

学习常见、具体的人情事理，进而掌握高深、普遍的道理。出自《论语·宪问》。本义指学人事，知天命，实际是倡导一种治学修身的精神，将自觉追求天命、天道作为毕生的使命和生命最高的境界。后来，“下”被阐释为“形而下”，即“器”，有形质的具体事物；“上”被阐释为“形而上”，即“道”，无形质的基本原理。其含义衍生为知其事，明其道；行其事，知其理。这种治学修身的思想，激励人不要满足于习得具体的事物或学会做具体的事情，还要进而达到对事物基本原理或普遍规律的认知，向着自身完满或高度自觉的境界而努力。其哲学基础是“道器无二”“知行合一”。

The term means to study common and concrete human affairs and to progress from that to an understanding of higher and more universal truths. Coming from The Analects, it literally means to study human affairs and understand heaven's will, but is actually advocating a spirit of scholarship and self-cultivation which regards the pursuit of heaven's will and heaven's way to be the highest stage of one's life and lifelong mission. This is to mean that knowing something is to understand its truths, while acting upon something is to know its principles. This concept of scholarship and self-cultivation encourages people not to be satisfied with acquiring a specific object or learning a specific thing; rather, they should progress to acquiring knowledge of fundamental truths or universal rules, and strive for self-perfection or reaching a heightened state of self-awareness. The philosophical basis of this idea is that there is no distinction between Dao and objects, and that knowledge and action are one.

引例 Citation：

◎先生之学，以“下学上达”为的，行之而后著，习矣而后察。真能行习，未有不著察者也。下学者，行也；上达者，知也。（黄宗羲《明儒学案·诸儒学案下三·给（jǐ）事郝楚望先生敬》）

[郝楚望]先生的学问以“下学上达”作为根本宗旨，认为践行而后明白事理、熟习而后明辨是非。只要真能做到践行和熟习，没有不明白事理、分辨是非的。所谓下学就在于践行，所谓上达就在于获得真知。

The key principle of Hao Chuwang's scholarship is "studying concrete things and reaching a higher-level understanding." He argues that one understands principles after acting, and that one distinguishes right from wrong after becoming well versed in it. If one can truly act and become well versed in it, one can understand all principles and distinguish all right from wrong. So studying concrete things is to act, and reaching a higher-level understanding is to acquire true knowledge. (Huang Zongxi: Commentaries on Writings of Famous Scholars of the Ming Dynasty)