劉宗周以「支離」為朱熹與陽明與陽明後學詮釋《大學》文本的主要問題，此些支離主要呈現在《大學》中的格致誠正概念中，即朱熹的格物窮理與〈格致補傳〉、陽明的致良知之說、王學的四句教宗旨等。基於解決與調和朱熹與陽明學此些《大學》詮釋的支離問題，劉宗周就著《大學》文本，在「即本體即工夫」的核心上，以「一貫」的方法論意識，透過「知本、知止、知至」幾個概念，貫通《大學》中的三綱與八目以及心意知物關係，完成理學與心學兩者間的重整與建構。

Liu Zong-zhou considers “diversions” to be the major problems with the interpretations of The Great Learning by Zhu Xi, Wang Yang-ming and his followers. These diversions can be seen in their concepts about Ge Wu Zhi Zhi (investigation of things and acquisition of knowledge) and Cheng Yi Zheng Xin (sincerity of the will and correction of the mind), including Zhu Xi’s “Ge Wu Qiong Li” and A Supplementary Commentary On Ge Wu Zhi Zhi as well as Wang’s theories about extension of innate knowledge and the four dicta. To resolve Zhu’s and Wang’s diversions from the themes of The Great Learning, based on its original text, Liu Zong-zhou understands comprehensively the three principles, eight clauses along with knowledge and affairs from The Great Learning and reorganizes and constructs the relationship between Neo-Confucianism and the doctrine of mind with “coherent” methodological consciousness through the concepts of “knowing the root, knowing where to stop and extending knowledge” regarding the central issue of essence as moral knowledge.