The theory of aspiration is an important proposition of Wang Yangming's doctrine.With the mat-uration of his thought at different stages of his life,the theory of aspiration also underwent three shifts.During the maturation of the"innate knowledge"doctrine,the practice of aspiration evolved from dedica-tion to activating one's true mind;at the peak of the"unity of knowledge and action"theory,the se-quence of aspiration and vigor shifted from prioritizing aspiration to harmonizing aspiration and vigor;in his later years,as the"unity of all things"concept was perfected,the realm of aspiration transitioned from the aspiration of sages to the aspiration aligned with the universe,culminating in the coherence and maturity of his theory of aspiration.