北宋诸儒通过诠释《孟子》思想，顺应兴王道、辟异端、明人伦的时代需要，吸收《孟子》尊王黜霸、重义轻利的治道思想，君君臣臣、父父子子的人伦思想，性善、养气的心性学说，天命、理想人格的理论，加以继承阐发或者批判反思，建构起新的治道、人伦、心性修养、天人思想体系，成为北宋哲学思想发展的重要组成部分。

在治道方面，北宋儒家学者围绕先秦孟子的王霸观与义利观展开思想论争。在“王霸之辨”问题上，北宋时期重视现实功业的儒家学者强调位的重要性，主张以德辅位。重视道德教化的儒家学者认为道德高于事功，回归孟子尊王黜霸的主张，但未能解决现实的德位之间不统一的矛盾。理学家则从超越性、整体性的角度论证王道高于霸道和德位统一，从天理层面肯定王道是理想的政治统治方式。在“义利之辨”问题上，北宋时期出于“尊王攘夷”和对抗佛老的双重需要，或主张“义利兼重、先义后利”；或强调道德对物质利益的主导地位，主张“重义轻利”；而有的儒家学者将道德对物质利益的主导地位推到极致，主张“以义为利、义利统一”。

在人伦观方面，北宋儒家学者围绕孟子的人伦观展开激烈论争。在要不要人伦的问题上，北宋儒家继承孟子提出的人伦是人禽之别的观点，提出进一步论证。在建立何种人伦的问题上，北宋儒者分别从赞同或者反对孟子的角度，围绕整体与个体的关系、差异性与等级性等问题提出了各自的主张。在君臣关系问题上，北宋儒家学者围绕孟子的君臣关系学说提出不同的见解。主张君臣关系绝对性的学者通过质疑或反对孟子的君臣观，强调君臣等级的不可改变。主张君臣关系相对性的学者则继承并阐发孟子“德高于位”的观点，强调君臣地位的动态变化和相对稳定。以二程为代表的儒家学者发展了孟子的“君道”“臣道”思想，肯定君臣之道的常道性，同时提出对君臣双方的德性要求，构建了理想君臣关系的新范式。在家庭伦理与政治伦理的冲突问题上，北宋儒家学者围绕《孟子》中舜“窃负而逃”案例展开了亲情与国法的关系之争。有的学者主张亲情与国法的分离，或以亲情先于国法，或以国法高于亲情。有的学者主张亲情与国法的结合，或回归汉唐时期“八议”中的“议亲”等以礼入法成规，或用经权之变来化解双方对立。二程等道学家把亲情与国法看作是超越的天理的显现，肯定其现实合理性和内在一致性。通过这些诠释，北宋儒家既回应了佛、老等异端思想的冲击，同时丰富、发展了孟子等传统儒家的人伦思想。

人性论是儒家对人的情感表现的共性和精神主体性的思考与理解，同时决定了人的后天修养如何展开。北宋儒家人性论围绕对孟子性善论的讨论而展开。一部分学者从现实人性情感差异表现的角度围绕孟子的性善论提出不同的人性主张；一部分学者借鉴佛教超越的性论思想将人性分为本体和现象两个层次，提出“性不可以善恶论”的主张；还有一部分学者则在吸收佛教超越性论思想的基础上，回归《孟子》等儒家传统经典，在天理论的视域中继承并发展了孟子的性善论思想。关于人性的讨论通常与人的心和情联系在一起，北宋儒家学者围绕孟子的性情论提出不同的观点。有的学者重视形体对性、情的影响，认为性、情都出于人的形体。有的学者认识到性情具有内外之别，认为性决定情，性情相应，同时也认识到外在事物对情的影响作用，主张性体情用，鼓励人通过修养去除外在事物对自身的影响。还有的学者认为外在事物与内在的性体相比，不会对情产生根本的决定作用，他们主张性体中用，使情遵循中道。在修养论上，北宋儒家学者围绕孟子的心性修养论，分别对“不动心”的内涵、心与言之间的关系、“浩然之气”的内涵和“以志帅气”、“集义养气”、“勿忘勿助长”的养气方法展开了丰富的讨论，他们继承了孟子的观点，并分别作出不同程度的阐发。

天命和圣人观的内容反映了北宋儒家在理解人与天的关系、人格修养的目标等方面的思维方式和价值信念。在天命问题上，北宋儒家学者围绕孟子的天命思想提出自己的观点。大部分儒家学者都认识到天命对人的现实境遇有决定性的作用，有的对人为努力的意义持悲观态度，主张人要顺天、安命；有的认为人为努力有积极意义从而主张人要充分发挥主观努力，并鼓励人通过道德修养达到正性、正命。在圣人观上，北宋儒家通过对《孟子》中尧舜和孔子圣人形象的比较，提出理想人格的目标。有的主张孔子绍述尧舜，主要从孔子无位尧舜有位、祖述之功与开创之功两方面进行论证。有的认为孔子与尧舜高下等，从先天性善的角度论证二人在道德上的层次等同，肯定他们在推行王道上的作用等同。还有一部分儒家学者继承孟子“德高于位”的观点，主张“夫子贤于尧舜”，同时又肯定尧舜与孔子在道德上地位等同，将尧舜与孔子纳入儒家道统谱系中的不同层面，将圣人高下的比较转向对修养目标、路径的探求。

从儒家思想的历史发展角度看，北宋诸儒通过《孟子》思想诠释，在治道、人伦、心性修养和天人思想方面作出了新的思考，总体上是对现实问题的回应和经典诠释的结合。从思想内容上看，北宋诸儒关于《孟子》中相关思想、相应案例的诠释是对北宋时期面临的社会政治、家庭家族伦理、佛老异端思想冲击等现实问题的回应。从思维方式上看，北宋诸儒是通过对《孟子》中相关案例、思想的诠释来表达自己的思想的，使《孟子》中的相关思想得到了新的发展，构成宋代“孟子升格运动”得以完成的重要原因和理学思想兴起的理论渊源。

Through the interpretation of Mencius' thought, the confucians in the Northern Song Dynasty constructed a new thought of governance, the thought of human ethics, the theory of spiritual cultivation and the thought system of heaven and man.They met the needs of the era of revitalizing the politics of benevolence, eradicating heresy and clarifying the order of human relations, absorbed the governance thought in Mencius, which promoted benevolence, dethroned hegemonic political thought, valued righteousness and despised material interests,and the ethical thought of orderly monarch and minister and loving father and son, the theory of human nature being good and nourishing Qi, and the theory of destiny and ideal personality, and carried on inheriting, elucidating or criticizing, reflecting, which became an important part of the development of philosophy in the Northern Song Dynasty

In the thought of governance, the Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty argued about Mencius' thoughts of kingship and hegemony, justice and benefit. On the issue of "the debate between kingship and hegemony", the Confucian scholars who attached importance to realistic achievements in the Northern Song Dynasty emphasized the importance of the throne, and advocated to assist the monarch with morality. Confucian scholars who attached importance to moral education believed that morality is higher than meritorious deeds. They returned to Mencius' idea of promoting benevolence and rejecting hegemony, but they failed to solve the contradiction between morality and position in reality. The neo-Confucianists proved from the perspective of transcendence and wholeness that kingliness is superior to hegemonism and that morality and position are unified, affirmed that kingship is the ideal way of political rule from the perspective of nature. On the issue of "the distinction between righteousness and interests", it was necessary to "respect the king and resist the barbarians" and to resist Buddhism and Taoism in Northern Song Dynasty. Some Confucian scholars advocated that "justice and interests should be emphasized, and justice should come first before interests." Some emphasized the dominant position of morality over material interests and advocate "valuing justice over profit". And some Confucian scholars pushed the dominant position of morality over material interests to the extreme, advocated "justice for profit, justice and interest unity".

In the aspect of the concept of human relations, the Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty launched a fierce debate around Mencius' concept of human relations. On the question of whether ethical order is necessary or not, the Confucians of the Northern Song Dynasty inherited Mencius' view that the order of human relations is different from human beings and animals, and putted forward further argumentation. On the question of what kind of human order should be established, from the point of view of supporting or opposing Mencius, the Confucians of the Northern Song Dynasty putted forward their own opinions about the relationship between the whole and the individual, as well as the difference and the hierarchy. On the issue of the relationship between the king and the subject, Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty putted forward different opinions around Mencius' theory of the relationship between the king and the subject. Scholars who advocated the absolutism of the relationship between the king and the subject emphasized the unalterable rank of the king and the subject by questioning or opposing Mencius' view of the king and the subject. Scholars who advocate the relativity of the relationship between the king and the subject inherit and expounding Mencius' view that "virtue is higher than the position" and emphasize the dynamic change and relative stability of the status of the king and the subject. The Confucian scholars represented by Ercheng developed Mencius' thoughts of "the way of being a king" and "the way of being a minister", affirmed the permanent nature of the way of being a king and a minister. At the same time, they putted forward the moral requirements of both the king and the subject, and constructed a new paradigm of the ideal relationship between the king and the subject. On the conflict between family ethics and political ethics, Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty debated the relationship between family affection and national law around the case of Shun "stealing the burden and fleeing" in Mencius. Some scholars advocated separating family affection from national law, some believed that family affection is higher than the national law, others believed that the national law was higher than family affection. Some scholars advocated the combination of family affection and national law, some of them came back to the regulations of "Yi qin" in the "Eight Discussions" of the Han and Tang Dynasties, some advocated using a flexible approach to resolve the conflict between the two sides. The Neo-Confucianist such as Ercheng regarded family affection and national law as the manifestation of transcendent heavenly principles and affirmed their realistic rationality and internal consistency. Through these interpretations, the Confucianism of the Northern Song Dynasty not only responded to the impact of Buddhism, Taoism and other heretical thoughts, but also enriched and developed the traditional Confucian thought of human ethics such as Mencius.

The theory of human nature is the Confucian thinking and understanding of the commonness of human emotional expression and spiritual subjectivity, and it determines how to develop people's acquired cultivation. The theory of human nature of the Confucians in the Northern Song Dynasty revolved around the discussion of Mencius' theory of good nature. Some scholars putted forward different human nature propositions around Mencius' good nature theory from the perspective of the difference expression of real human emotion. Some scholars drew on the transcendent mind-nature theory of Buddhism, divided human nature into ontology and phenomenon, and putted forward the idea that "nature cannot be defined by good and evil". On the basis of absorbing Buddhism's transcendence theory, some scholars returned to the traditional Confucian classics such as Mencius, inherited and developed Mencius' theory of goodness in the perspective of heavenly principles. The discussion about human nature is usually connected with the human heart and emotion. Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty putted forward different views around Mencius' theory of disposition. Some scholars attached importance to the influence of body on human nature and emotion, and believed that human nature and emotion were generated by human body. Some scholars realized that temperament is different from inside and outside, and believed that human nature determines emotion, and human nature and emotion are corresponding.They also recognized the influence of external objects on emotions, maintained that human nature is noumenon and emotion is manifestation, encouraged people to remove the influence of external things on themselves through cultivation.Other scholars believed that external things, compared with the inner human nature, do not have a fundamental determining effect on emotions.They advocated that human nature is the noumenon, the middle way is its manifestation, and let emotion follow the middle way. On the theory of cultivation,Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty centered on Mencius' theory of mind cultivation,They had a rich discussion on the connotation of "No Fear in the Heart" , the relationship between heart and speech, the connotation of "mighty spirit", and the method of nourishing Qi which included "Will dominates Qi" "Gather righteousness to cultivate Qi" "Neither forget nor encourage". They inherited the views of Mencius and expounded them in different degrees.

The content of the concept of destiny and sage reflects the thinking mode and value belief of Confucianism in the Northern Song Dynasty in understanding the relationship between man and heaven and the goal of personality cultivation. On the issue of the mandate of heaven, the Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty putted forward their own views around Mencius' thought of the mandate of heaven. Most Confucian scholars recognized that the mandate of heaven plays a decisive role in human reality.Some scholars were pessimistic about the significance of human efforts, and advocated that people should conform to heaven and be content with life. Some thought that human efforts have positive significance and advocate that people should give full play to subjective efforts. They also encouraged people to achieve proper nature and proper destiny through moral cultivation. In the view of sage, the Northern Song Confucians putted forward the goal of ideal personality by comparing the images of Yao and Shun and Confucius in Mencius. Some argued that Confucius explained Yao and Shun. They mainly argued from two aspects: Confucius had no position, Yao and Shun had position, and their merits of ancestral statements and pioneering achievements. Some Confucians thought that Confucius and Yao and Shun are equal. From the perspective of innate goodness, they proved that the two people are equal in moral level, and their role in promoting the king's way is equal. Some Confucian scholars inherited Mencius' view of "virtue is higher than position", and advocated that "Confucius is superior to Yao and Shun".At the same time, they affirmed that Yao and Shun were equal to Confucius in moral status, putted Yao and Shun and Confucius into different levels of the Confucian tradition, turned the comparison of sages to the exploration of self-cultivation goals and paths.

From the perspective of the historical development of Confucianism, through the interpretation of Mencius thought, Confucian scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty had made new thinking in the aspects of the thought of governance, human ethics, spiritual cultivation and the thoughts of heaven and man. On the whole, that was the response to realistic problems and the combination of classical interpretation. From the perspective of ideological content, the interpretation of the relevant thoughts and cases in Mencius by the Northern Song scholars is a response to the realistic problems faced by the Northern Song Dynasty, such as social politics, family ethics, and the impact of Buddhist heresy.From the perspective of thinking mode, the Northern Song Dynasty scholars expressed their thoughts through the interpretation of relevant cases and thoughts in Mencius, which made the relevant thoughts in Mencius get new development,which constituted the important reason for the completion of "Mencius' uplifting movement" in Song Dynasty and the theoretical origin of the rise of Neo-Confucianism.