祁彪佳向來被視為晚明嗜戲的文人代表，此一好尚卻在中年後中斷，對照他另一重身份－蕺山弟子，令人對二者的因果關係產生聯想。事實上，即使犯過，祁彪佳在「追求個人風雅嗜好」之路上從未遲疑，與蕺山之學強調修己改過的實踐頗多違背。由此出發重新檢視祁彪佳如何被認證為蕺山弟子，則其學思歷程頗為駁雜，並不全然以蕺山為宗，他親近陶石梁，甚且與僧人談佛論法，在蕺山後學眼中皆是觸犯儒釋之辨的大忌。而劉宗周以其個人的社會聲望，使祁彪佳另有於心性之學以外的追隨，他們皆以士紳的身份在鄉里事務上殫精竭慮，劉宗周作為精神領袖，使祁彪佳得以於官吏與百姓之間使力。在政治上，除二人以身殉國的最終選擇外，劉宗周更明確將祁彪佳引為同道，期待二人並立朝堂、共振朝綱，只可惜時不我與，徒留遺憾。這些經世濟民的大業是蕺山學說在訟過自省的實踐工夫之外，更具體的弘揚，祁彪佳因此得以作為蕺山弟子被記錄、紀念。

Even as a representative of late Ming Dynasty scholars enthusiastic over Chinese opera, Qi Biao-Jia loses his interest in it after he reaches middle age. This sudden change seems to imply a causal relationship with his identity as a disciple of Liu Zong-Zhou's Jishan school, but in fact he never stops developing his personal characteristics and interests even when it violates the practice of self-cultivation and self-correction that the Jishan school values. A reexamination on how Qi is identified as a Jishan disciple reveals that Qi does not fully follow Jishan school's teachings and that his academic career is heterogeneous. Regardless of the school's taboo against distinguishing Confucianism from Buddhism, he associates with Tao Shi-Liang and discusses Buddhism with monks. However, Liu and Qi are both members of the gentry, both execute local affairs diligently, and both commit suicide for Qing dynasty's triumph over the Ming dynasty. Liu's social prestige for being a spiritual leader enables Qi to help the communication between officials and commoners, and he explicitly refers to Qi as a fellow devotee and hopes that the two of them can contribute politically to the country. The above-mentioned political actions actually belong to Jishan school's practice of self-criticism and self-reflection, making Qi recorded and commemorated as a disciple of the Jishan school.