This paper aims at putting forward a novel interpretation of the view of benevolence in the book Mencius and, by means of the interpretation, proves that the view contains a logical inconsistency, as well as finding out the cause of the inconsistency. This paper will also locate some major difficulties of Mencius' Doctrine of Heart and Essence(心性論). This paper is divided into six sections. In the first two sections, we argue that, for Mencius, benevolence is the value actualized in the process of “being affectionate to parents and then being benevolent to people generally, being benevolent to people generally and then being kind to creatures(親親而仁民、仁民而愛物)” according to the principle of extending what one cannot bear to what she can bear(自有所不忍,達之於其所忍). It follows that a benevolent person should love all people and things but there must be gradations in her love. The third section proves that Mencius takes “being affectionate to parents” as the point of departure of the practice of benevolence, and this together with the aforementioned views shows that Mencius' view of benevolence is inherited and developed from Confucian philosophy. The fourth section focuses on the proposition “Benevolence is rooted in the heart which contains the ability of being affectionate to parents” and discusses one of its proofs. But the proof lacks force. The fifth section discusses another proof of the proposition, namely, the famous “child-about-to-fall-into-well” argument. The step of identifying the heart of compassion(惻隱之心)with the germ of benevolence(仁之端)in the proof is inconsistent with the claim that there must be gradations in the love of a benevolent person. This shows that Mencius?view of benevolence is inconsistent. The sixth section points out that any attempt to inherit and further develop Mencius' Doctrine of Heart and Essence, besides giving up the “child-about-to-fall-into-well” argument and providing strong grounds for the doctrine, must also refute any attempt to employ Mencius' “child-about-to-fall-into-well” argument to support any rival theory upholding values without gradations, e.g., the Mohist universal love(墨家兼愛).