“种树者必培其根”——王阳明《传习录》树喻的工夫论阐释

“Those Who Plant Trees Must Cultivate Their Roots” —An Interpretation of the Theory of Self-Cultivation in Wang Yangming’s Tree Metaphor in Instructions for Practical Living

摘要: 《传习录》中，王阳明大量使用树木的意象来阐发心学义理，这些树喻并非只是零散的修辞运用，而是构成了一个由“根”到“枝叶”的完整哲学隐喻系统。本文以徐爱录、陆澄录、薛侃录中的六处树喻为研究对象，从工夫论视角出发，按照“根–栽培–删枝–生长”的顺序，系统分析树喻所揭示的修养次第。研究发现，树喻以直观形象的方式呈现了阳明心学的核心命题：心即理(根喻)、立志为本(种树喻)、克己去私(伐树删枝喻)、自然上达(生长喻)，构成了一个贯通本体与工夫、先天与后天的完整理论模型。树喻的独特哲学价值在于揭示了道德修养的“时间性”与“过程性”，为理解阳明心学的工夫论提供了重要的隐喻路径。

Abstract: In the Chuanxilu (Instructions for Practical Living), Wang Yangming extensively employs the imagery of trees to elucidate the principles of his philosophy of mind. These tree metaphors are not merely scattered rhetorical devices but constitute a complete philosophical metaphorical system extending from “roots” to “branches and leaves.” Taking the six tree metaphors recorded in the sections of Xu Ai, Lu Cheng, and Xue Kan as its objects of study, and from the perspective of the theory of self-cultivation (gongfu), this paper systematically analyzes the sequential stages of moral cultivation revealed by these metaphors, following the order of “root-cultivation-pruning-growth.” The study finds that these tree metaphors intuitively and vividly present the core propositions of Wang’s philosophy of mind: xin ji li (the mind is principle) through the root metaphor, establishing the will as the foundation through the planting metaphor, overcoming selfish desires through the felling-and-pruning metaphor, and natural upward attainment through the growth metaphor. Together, they constitute a complete theoretical model that interconnects substance and practice, as well as the innate and the acquired. The unique philosophical value of the tree metaphors lies in their revelation of the “temporality” and “processuality” of moral cultivation, thereby providing an important metaphorical pathway for understanding the theory of self-cultivation in Wang Yangming’s philosophy of mind.