Unity of Knowledge and Action

This important notion was proposed by Wang Yangming (1472-1529), a Chinese philosopher of the Ming Dynasty. Many have discussed the relationship between knowledge and action in ancient Chinese philosophy. The relevant axioms are many, including "first knowledge, then action," "to know is easy, to act is hard," "knowledge comes first but action is more important," "knowledge and action develop together," and "unity of knowledge and action". From the perspective of moral consciousness and moral behavior, Wang Yangming argued that knowledge and action are inseparable and that action begets knowledge. At the same time, knowledge determines action, and action is guided by knowledge. According to Wang Yangming, moral consciousness is manifest in moral behavior because one's innate moral knowledge necessarily leads to good behavior. He argued against the separation of knowledge and action and criticized those who know but do not act.

This notion is an evolution of the concepts of knowledge and action in the history of Chinese philosophy. It stresses the subjectivity of human beings and offers criteria for judging knowledge and action: knowledge forms the foundation and prerequisite for action, while action is the key to knowledge. Nowadays, the notion is often used to emphasize unity of theory and practice.

知行合一

知行合一是明代思想家王陽明（1472—1529）提出的重要思想。中國古代哲學有大量關于知行關系的討論，有知 先行后、知易行難、知先行重、知行并進、知行合一等多種 說法。王陽明從道德意識和道德行為的角度探討知行合一， 認為認知和實踐是密不可分的，要達到知，就必須通過行； 同時，知決定行，行要以知為指導。他主張道德意識和道德 行為互為表里，內有良知則外有良行。他反對把知和行分開 看待為由此及彼的關系，反對在道德方面的知行脫節、知而 不行。

知行合一的哲學思想是對中國思想史上知行觀的繼承和發展，它賦予人以主體性的積極意義，為人們認知與實踐提供了一套價值判斷的標準，即知是基礎、前提，行是重點、關鍵。今天，人們多用“知行合一”強調理論與實踐的統一。