戴震对气、欲、才三个关键词进行梳理之后,试图重构孟子的性善论。它分为两个阶段:先是准备阶段,东原以孟子为集中意识,指出程朱论气、欲、才违背了《孟子》文本,从而对当时奉为国家意识形态的程朱心性论进行了批判;后是建立阶段,东原以孟子为支援意识,完成了自己以情感哲学替换理性哲学的性善论建构。在第一个阶段上,戴震以孟子为集中意识,亦即合法化认同孟子,显示了他与孟子之间的亲近感,奠定了《孟子字义疏证》"准孟"的思想基调;而在第二个阶段上,戴震与孟子之间的亲近感越来越被距离感所取代,逐渐从对孟子的合法化认同走向自身的创造性转换,并成为具有"准孟"品格的思想家。
Dai Zhen tried to reconstruct Mencian theory of good nature after analyzing such three key words as Qi(natural matter or force),Yu(want or desire) and Cai(talent or ability). Dai Zhen's work was divided into two stages, the first of which was prepared to point out with his focal awareness of Mencius the understanding of Qi,Yu and Cai by Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao and Zhu Xi against that in the book Mencius in order to criticize the theory of human heart and nature of Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao and Zhu Xi that was regarded as national ideology at that time; the last of which was used with his subsidiary awareness of Mencius to complete the construction of his own theory of human heart and nature called "emotional philosophy" in place of "rational philosophy". At the first stage, Dai Zhen legitimatized and identified Mencius,showing an intimate relationship with him and setting a "quasi-Mencian" ideological keynote of his work Mengzi zi yi shu zheng, whereas at the second stage, intimacy was increasingly taken pace of distance between them when Dai Zhen shifted from his legitimatization of and identification with Mencius to creative transformation of his own thought which made himself a "quasi-Mencian " thinker.