孟子謂「自生民以來，未有盛於孔子也」，而孟子一生的願望就是向孔子學習。在孟子的心目中，孔子是聖中之聖，是一位能夠因應時變以行仁義的聖人。本文主要以《孟子》為根本，參考《論語》有關資料，把孟子心目中的孔子形象呈現於讀者面前。 　孟子說：「可以仕則仕，可以止則止，可以久則久，可以速則速」，不論仕止久速，孔子的一切行為，都合乎仁義原則的。在〈萬章下〉第一章，孟子更以伯夷、伊尹和柳下惠作對比，由此而突顯孔子的精神面貌。在孟子的心目中，孔子就是仁義的化身，既能行仁義，又能適應時世，因事制宜，所以稱為「聖之時者」。

　　　　　"Ever since human existence, nobody has ever been greater than Confucius."---Mencius: Mencius. Mencius' life-long aspiration was to follow the example of Confucius. In Mencius' perception, Confucius was the sage who acted according to circumstances at all times. His actions showed benevolence and righteousness, and always complied with the moral principle. This article aims at portraying Mencius' perception of Confucius, using Mencius as the foundation, and with reference to Lun Yu. In chapter 10, article no.1 of Mencius, Mencius described Confucius'philosophies and spirituality, which were in contrast with that of Po Yi (the sage who of high-mindedness), Yi Yin (the sage of responsibility) and Liu Hsia Hui (the sage of harmony). Mencius explained that Confucius was synonymous with kindness, generosity and justice. It was the goodness and fairness of his actions, and the appropriateness of such actions that made him "the sage of timeliness".