葉適為永嘉之學的代表，他的學術特性，歷來多以「事功」稱之，故其重經世、講實利，向為通論。本文意在指出：他的事功之學，事實上也是傳統儒家講求的修身治國之道，這在葉適的言論中，屢見不鮮，只是他的事功究竟該如何聯到修身？他又怎麼定義修身？關於治國的種種具體政策，到底與修身有何關係？再者，他對於修身的理解，也與當時理學家不同，因此就形成了彼此的分歧，只是分歧何在？也正是他自覺與理學家相異之處。本文的研究，即是在這些問題上，說明他到底怎麼理解並運用這個傳統，來建構他的事功之學。

Ye Shi is considered to be the representative figure of the Yongjia School whose research approach is often characterized by the so-called ＂Shi Gong＂ preoccupation emphasizing some practical issues such as statecraft. This essay intends to point out that his ＂Shi Gong School＂ is no less than the combination of the method of statecraft and the way of inner quest, both pursued and espoused by the traditional Confucianism. While this viewpoint is present almost everywhere in Ye Shi's thoughts, it is interesting to see in which ways his ＂Shi Gong＂ is connected with the Confucian inner quest and to define what this quest is to him. The interest, therefore, lies in bridging the exterior statecraft and the interior pursuit. And since Ye Shi's understanding of this pursuit differs from that of his contemporaries from the school of principle, this essay would also like to scrutinize this difference, a difference that, according to Ye Shi himself, distinguishes exactly himself from his contemporaries. Based on these observations, this essay attempts to elucidate the ways how Ye Shi appropriates the Confucian tradition to construct his own Shi Gong School.