This paper explores a hermeneutical interpretation, namely Zhu Xi411 interpretation of two ideas found in the Mencius 5B and 5A: principles of "knowing the ancient by understanding the age in which one lives" (zhiren lunshi 知人論世) and of "meeting the intention of the author with the idea of the text" (yiyi nizhi 以意逆志). About the first principle zhiren lunshi, Mencius points out that when looking for renowned ancient writers or authors in history as one's friends, one must not only read the writings but also understand the age (shi) in which they lived. But Zhu Xi explains the word shi as the behavior of authors and regards the behavior as a historical element in addition to his writing: When one tries to know an author4J4idea, one must consider personal, historical, and non-textual factors. Another principle, yiyi nizhi, appears in a dialogue between Xianqiu Meng and Mencius. In this dialogue Mencius points out that, when interpreting the idea of text, in order to grasp the intention of the author, one must pay attention only to its context and should not allow the words to obscure the sentence or the sentence to obscure the intention. For Zhu Xi, this author's intention can be met only with sympathetic understanding from the reader. Zhu's interpretation can be viewed as an outline of the relationship between reader and author. Finally, this paper shows that Zhu Xi in fact makes no connection between these two hermeneutical principles.