焦循的易學十分系統而且抽象，基本上由卦爻互相變換的方式構式。這套抽象的系統要突破易學的範圍應用到具體的問題上，並非易事。因此焦循在結合他的易學與孟子學時，僅擷取他的易學系統的基本觀念「通變」作為基礎，捨抽象的卦變方式不用。可是「變」是個中性的概念，可以變善，也可以變惡。在焦循的易學裡，卦變以歸於「正」「定」為目的，所以是有價值取的，並以此為變化的動力。「變通」與「卦變」一樣，都有價值取向。焦循把「變動」轉用到性善問題上，開創了「性善」從個體轉血群體，從倫理轉向文化的新研究層面。

Jiao Xun, as an expert both in “I-ching” and “Mencius” attempted to integrate the main ideas and principles of these two books into a united system. With the his most abstract interpretation of “I-ching”, the only idea he could introduce into his exposition of “Mencius” is ‘change’ or ‘changebility’ ‘Change’ is a neutral term. But Jiao Xun employed it teleogically as ‘changing from indeterminate to determinate’ or as ‘becoming’ in a dialectical sense. This special employment resulted in a ‘Socio-Cultural Turn’ of Confucian theories of human nature.