Only a person of pure moral character can appreciate the fine nature of the ancient sages through the study of ancient works.
Otherwise, bad people would be able to appropriate the good deeds of the worthies of antiquity for their own nefarious ends, and quote their wise words to disguise their own evil actions. That would be equivalent to supplying weapons to enemies and victuals to bandits.
心地乾净方可读书学古，不然见一善行窃以济私，闻一善言假以覆短，是又籍寇兵而赍盗粮矣。
Notes
The sanctity of learning motive
True study requires pure intent — seeking wisdom to cultivate virtue, not to weaponize knowledge.
Corrupt hearts corrupt knowledge
Without moral foundation:
- Virtuous examples become tools for selfish gains;
- Noble teachings mask personal flaws.
This perversion turns learning into “arming evil” — empowering vice rather than nurturing goodness.
Learning without cultivation breeds hypocrisy
When surface knowledge divorces inner growth:
- Scholarship becomes a cloak for calculation;
- “Wisdom” refines cunning, not character.
True transformation demands heart-first purification.
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