聶豹（雙江，1486-1563）是陽明（王守仁，1472-1529）後學「江右王門」之健將，當前眾多研究均逕以其「歸寂說」為核心，卻未嘗慮及其問學於陽明時年紀已然不小，歸寂說成形時更已年過半百，以致忽略此前五十年的學思歷程，及其可能的影響。本文考查了聶豹早年的學思歷程，發現其早歲從學於郭聳，深受影響；嘉靖五年 (1526) 起雖與陽明論學，卻也同時廣泛接觸張栻 (1133-1181)、羅倫 (1431-1478)、陳獻章 (1428-1500)、程敏政 (1445-1499)、湛若水 (1466-1560) 之學，靈活而博採，並未專意求入王門；而在拜入王門並提出歸寂說之前，聶豹已有相對完整之學理，尤其關注孝弟、尊德性與道問學等問題，並各有深入的發揮。透過對聶豹早年學思的研究，可使其形象更加豐富、完滿，並加深吾人對陽明第一代弟子的認知。

Nie Bao’s 聶豹 theory of returning to tranquility, or guiji 歸寂, was one of several interpretations of Wang Yangming’s 王陽明 concept of liangzhi 良知 that emerged after Wang’s death. Most studies of Nie’s learning have focused on this theory, implicitly identifying Nie as a faithful disciple of Wang from the very beginning of his intellectual career. However, Nie was over forty years old when he first met Wang in Zhejiang, and over fifty by the time he postulated his theory of guiji. It is inconceivable that the first half of his life was intellectually vacant. In this article, I investigate Nie’s early thought and intellectual associations. I show that he chose to study not only with Wang Yangming, but also, concurrently, with Cheng Minzheng 程敏政 and Zhan Ruoshi 湛若水, which reveals an open-minded attitude. It also indicates that he engaged with systematic thought before coming into contact with Wang. During his early period, Nie’s intellectual theorizing centered on the concepts of “filial piety and fraternal duty” (xiaoti 孝弟) and “honoring the virtuous nature and following the path of knowledge” (zun dexing dao wenxue 尊德性道問學). In short, the relationship between Nie and Wang may not have been as close as scholars have deemed, and the source of his theory of guiji is probably more complex and varied than formerly recognized.