先秦儒學中，孔子提出聖人形象作為修養最高境界代表，然而孔子不輕易以聖人許人。到了孟子，開始大談聖人。孟子曾以聖人贊許者計有十一位之多，開啟後世道統說的濫觴。但相較於孔子的慎重，孟子的聖人層次似乎較為複雜，並導致一些思想理論上的困難，如聖人觀念是否不夠完備，以及聖人之間是否存有等級差別等問題。此文透過對孟子聖人形象思維的分析討論，提出孟子聖人形象具有聖王系統及聖賢系統兩類，論述的重點也不盡相同，並由此開啟孟子內聖外王的統一功夫。另外也針對孟子聖人思維的特色作分析，提出孟子聖人觀念具有歷史經驗的創造性詮釋及二元系統之整體性預設之方法論，這是造成孟子聖人多元形象的關鍵，從而得出孟子的聖人思想必須建構在整體形象之下進行論述，不可就個別形象分析之結論。

In Confucianism of the Chou Dynasty, Confucius indicated that the image of saint presents the highest level of self-cultivation, however, it is not easy for Confucius to regard any person as a saint. When it comes to Mencius, he started to talk a lot about saints, and there were 11 people being regarding as a saint by Mencius, and it is the beginning of the Confucian Orthodoxy (the tradition of handing down from generation to generation with the doctrine of a saint). In comparison with the cautiousness of Confucius, Mencius' level of a saint seems to be more complicated and has caused some difficulties in the theory of thinking. For instance, there are questions such as is the concept of a saint not perfect? Are there any level exists between saints? Through analysis and discussion of the thinking of Mencius' saint image, this article indicates that Mencius' image of a saint covers the saint King system and the oracle system, and the points of discussion are not the same; it also starts the integration of Mencius' "being a saint internally and a king externally". In addition, it also analysis the features of Mencius' thinking of a saint, and indicates that Mencius' concept of a saint has the creative heremeneutics that features historical experience, and the methodology regarding the general preset of the binary system. This is the key point that caused Mencius' multiple image of a saint, thus deduced the conclusion that Mencius' thinking of a saint must discuss on the base of the general image, and can not analysis according to independent image.