Whether you have a deep understanding of something or truth can be seen from your behavior; The correctness and accuracy of behavior in turn affect the understanding of things. The two are integrated, which is the biggest difference between Zhu and Neo-Confucianism.
Zhu believes that order and knowledge are the first; It sounds reasonable to emphasize importance and behavior, but in fact "knowledge first" already means that "knowledge" dominates and determines "behavior", so scholars at that time only talk but don't do it, which is also a phenomenon strongly criticized by Yang Ming at that time.
Extended data:
the unity of knowing and doing
Ancient philosophers in China believed that it was necessary not only to know ("knowledge"), but also to do ("behavior"). Only by unifying "knowledge" and "behavior" can it be called "goodness". The unity of conscience and knowing and doing is the core of Yangming culture.
In the third year of Zheng De in Ming Dynasty (1508), Wang Shouren, a psychologist, gave a lecture at Guiyang Institute of Civilization, and put forward the theory of the unity of knowing and doing for the first time. The so-called "integration of knowledge and practice" is not a general relationship between understanding and practice. "Knowledge" mainly refers to people's moral consciousness and thought. "Doing" mainly refers to people's moral practice and practical actions. Therefore, the relationship between knowing and doing, that is, the relationship between moral consciousness and moral practice, also includes the relationship between some thoughts and practical actions. Wang Shouren's thought of "unity of knowledge and action" includes the following two meanings.
1, there is a line in knowledge, and there is knowledge in the line. Wang Shouren believes that knowledge and action are the same thing, and cannot be divided into two parts. "Knowing and doing are two words, and it takes time to say it." From the perspective of moral education, Wang Shouren strongly opposes the disconnection between knowledge and practice and "knowing but not acting" in moral education, and it is of positive significance to put all morality on personal conscious action.
Because from the perspective of moral education, moral consciousness can not be separated from moral behavior, and moral behavior can not be separated from moral consciousness. The two are inseparable. Knowledge must be manifested in action, and failure cannot be regarded as real knowledge. Moral knowledge and moral consciousness must be manifested as moral behavior. If you don't act, it can't be regarded as real knowledge. Wang Shouren thought: Conscience is everything, but conscious action means knowing. This is undoubtedly profound.
2. Do what you know, do what you know. Wang Shouren said: "knowing is the idea of doing, and doing is the work of knowing;" Knowing is the beginning of doing, and doing is the achievement of knowing. " It means that morality is the guiding ideology of human behavior, and it is time to achieve "conscience" and act according to the requirements of morality. Ideological activity under the guidance of morality is the beginning of behavior, and behavior that meets the requirements of moral norms is the completion of "conscience"
Baidu Encyclopedia-Unity of Knowledge and Practice