儒學門實踐性極強的學問，而不是空洞的理論，所以檢證學者的工夫結果，除了日常生活的進退應對外，學者的身體就是最好的報酬，因為透過身心轉化上的工夫休養，「有諸內，形諸外」，學者身體裡外皆為道德流行心氣所貫穿，用大學的說法是「德潤身」，荀子則是「君子之學，入乎耳，著乎心，布乎四體，行乎動靜」，在孟子則是「踐形」。本文扣緊孟子「踐形」說為出發點，認為孟子所謂「惟聖人然後可以踐形」不能只是形而上的玄思空談，而是要具體落實於學者身軀，正所謂「踐其下」，而「非踐其上」，所以緊跟著「踐形」而來的周邊論述諸如「養氣」「集義」「不動心」「知言」等等就必須僅扣著學者身軀而論，才能獲得較為具體的輪廓。

This article probes into how it is that spiritual values comes to be incarnated in ones bosy in Mencius theory. I Will deals with three core concepts of Mencius Study, namely, Embodying, understanding words and Cultivating ChI. It is an very important theory on the Confucian view of the body, which states that flesh, ChI and spirit are in all one. If one cultivated on of the three, the other two would be affected as well. Therefore, one who cultivated himself can embody his body and understand any messages from others; he, finally, could communicate with the cosmic element of Chi.