Confucianism underwent a grand transformation in the late Ming and the early Ch'ing period. First, Confucians at that time emphasized practice and utility as a remedy for the practical impotence of Ming scholars' ideas; second, they refuted the duality of "li" and "ch'i" as well as the transcendence of "li" found in Sung Confucianism. Tai Chen clearly exemplifies these two traits by arguing that moral norms consist in cultivated human desires. Following the direction of Tai Chen, Chiao Hsün compiled commentaries to the Meng-tzu. In his interpretation of Mencius' theory of heart/mind, Chiao Hsün returned to the Han Confucians' approach of explicating heart/mind in terms of "ch'i". Like most early Ch'ing scholars, Chiao Hsün adopted the philological method to resolve hermeneutic problems. From a philosophical perspective, this paper reviews Chiao Hsün's interpretation of related passages in the Meng-tzu and comes to the conclusion that he misunderstood Mencius' theory of heart/mind. Furthermore, this paper traces the source of Chiao Hsün's misunderstanding by pointing out the absence of the idea of "hermeneutic circle" in his methodology.