For the latter part of the twentieth century, the critics have repeatedly tried establishing "the master narrative of Mencius," as I call it, in which they equate historical Mengke, the text of Mencius, and the subject of Mencius uttering the text. They seem to have succeeded in putting Mencius in the position of a near-saint, thus containing him and his text in rigid interpretations. Behind "the master narrative of Mencius," lie the triple arbitrations on the part of the critics; first their desire to interpret the text in the way they choose, secondly the linguistic notion that languages can signify thoughts accurately, and lastly the notion of textuality where the text of Mencius is identified with the real life of Mencius who lived tactfully in the age of civil wars.
After reviewing the past critique, I have introduced a new set of notions on textuality where language is considered to be the initiator of the beings, and texts are made up of strategic discourses. On this understanding of textuality, we may demystify Mencius and stand on the new horizon of the study of Mencius.