孟子是儒家的代表人物，而《孟子》一書則影響了中國思想、文化與文學的發展。本課程擬介紹這位古代聖人，以及這本既古典、卻又深具生命力的專書，並從中討論儒學的特質、基本關懷與文化精神。而將先介紹孟子的生平及歷史背景，從而探討孟子的思想觀點與義理架構。並將以導讀的形式，分章介紹《孟子》一書。在「知人論世」的原則與文本的微觀解讀中，讀出孟子的人格及思想特色。課程的主要學習目標有三：一是修習本課程後，能對儒學以及孟子的核心關懷和理論，有基本的認識。二是能在研讀《孟子》的基礎上，訓練古典文獻的閱讀能力，以作為深入理解古典文化的基礎。三是建立在對孟子之學的理解和《孟子》書的解讀上，能對孟子在儒學史上的地位與影響，以及後世的孟子學發展，有進一步的認識，進而思索其在當代的可能意義。

Mencius is a representative figure of Confucianism, and the book "Mencius" influenced the development of Chinese thought, culture and literature. This course introduces this ancient saint, as well as this classical, yet vital book, and discusses the characteristics, basic concerns and cultural spirit of Confucianism. We will first introduce Mencius's life and historical background, and then explore Mencius's ideological views and theoretical structure. The book "Mencius" will be introduced in chapters in the form of guidance. In the principles of "knowing people and discussing the world" and the micro-interpretation of text, Mencius' personality and ideological characteristics are read. There are three main learning goals in the course: First, after studying this course, you can have a basic understanding of Confucianism and Mencius' core concerns and theories. Second, we can train the reading ability of classical literature on the basis of studying "Mencius" to serve as the basis for a deep understanding of classical culture. The third is to build on the understanding of Mencius's learning and the interpretation of Mencius's book, to have a further understanding of Mencius' status and influence in the history of Confucianism, as well as the development of Mencius's learning in later generations, and to further consider its possible meaning in contemporary times.

〔宋〕朱熹：《四書章句集注》

[Song Dynasty] Zhu Xi: "Collected Notes on the Four Chapters"