《論語》〈先進〉篇載：「子曰：『回也其庶乎，屢空。賜不受命，而貨殖焉，億則屢中』」，這段話在後世的詮釋中不乏爭議。「屢空」和「屢中」向來被解釋為孔子對顏回和子貢的評價，其中是否隱含褒貶之意，抑或只是一般的陳說，沒有定說。在宋代，「屢空」曾被解讀為「空中」、「空無」或「無我」，皆被朱熹（1130-1200）所否定。朱熹以「貧」解「空」，認為「屢空」即是孟子「空乏其身」之意，並指說「顏子不以貧乏改其樂而求富」，而子貢則「料事而多中」。朱熹的註解影響深遠。有意思的是，晚明儒者當中，尤其是陽明學學者，對於「屢空」和「屢中」提出有別於朱熹的解釋，並賦予「空」和「中」多元的義涵，不僅可視為對朱熹註解的回應，也反映出晚明聖學的特色。因此本文不僅旨在梳理「屢空」和「屢中」在晚明的詮釋特色，並將討論其於晚明思想史的特殊意義，尤其是與聖學和聖人之道相關的重要命題。

Analects 11:18 (“Xian jin 先進”) records that Confucius once said, “Hui 回 (Yan Hui 顏回) comes very near to it. He is often empty (lü kong 屢空). Ci 賜 (Zigong 子貢) was discontented with his lot and has taken steps to enrich himself. In his calculations he often hits the mark (lü zhong 屢中).” Generations of scholars have often since disputed how this passage should be interpreted. Lü kong and lü zhong have always been considered to be Confucius’ evaluations of his disciples Yan Hui and Zigong. It has never been established, however, whether there is an implied criticism, or whether Confucius is making a simple statement. In the Song dynasty, lü kong was interpreted as “emptiness,” “void” or “negation of self,” but these were all refuted by Zhu Xi 朱熹. Zhu Xi interpreted kong 空 as “poor” and thought that lü kong was what Mencius meant by being “exposed to poverty 空乏之 身.” Zhu Xi also remarked that, although Yan Hui was frequently in straitened circumstances, he didn’t allow this to affect his cheerfulness, and that it was also true that Zigong’s “conjectures often hit the mark 料事而多中.” Zhu Xi’s commentary has had a great and lasting impact. Interestingly, late-Ming Confucians, especially scholars of the Yangming School 陽明學, offered alternative interpretations to Zhu Xi’s lü kong and lü zhong, and held diverse views on the meanings of kong 空 and zhong 中. This can be seen not only as a response to Zhu Xi’s commentary, but also as a reflection of the state of late-Ming Shengxue (聖學 Sagely Learning). The aim of this paper, therefore, is to clarify the characteristics of late-Ming interpretations of lü kong and lü zhong, while discussing their significance in late-Ming intellectual history, and in particular the important topics relating to Shengxue and the Way of the Sage 聖人之道.