歷來治《孟》者大多聚焦討論《孟子》〈知言養氣章〉中哲學概念之內涵，卻未曾著力疏通此章之文理。具體言之，此章開首討論「不動心」，結尾卻論孔子，兩段文字究竟有何關係？不少學者通過重新定義此章之篇幅範圍，強行將結尾一段從〈知言養氣章〉割裂出去，如此解讀方式實不理想。本文通過考察〈知言養氣章〉之修辭，指出此章通篇暗用《論語》〈吾十有五而志於學章〉立論，此即其一貫文脈。根據孟子的詮釋，孔子自四十歲起的精神境界，都與進退出處之抉擇相關。循此入手，並結合相關內證，本文指出〈知言養氣章〉章首「動心否乎」之問，只能解作「孟子去齊之志會否因獲得齊國卿相之位一事而動搖？」，而非趙岐所謂在登上卿相之位後才因畏行道之難而動心。本文同時發現，孟子不因卿相高位而動搖去齊之志的壯舉，已成他身後四百年間士人的共同文化記憶。在趙岐之前，每當士人提及不動心，即將之連系到不因權位而出仕，無一例外。可以說，趙注的流行中斷了戰國末年至東漢時期士人的一種文化記憶，也令此章文脈從此變得隱而不顯。

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Scholars have tended to focus on the implications of such philosophical terms as “flood-like qi” 浩然之氣 and “unperturbed mind-heart” 不動心 in Mencius 2A:2, but have failed to identify the common thread of this rather long chapter. This article argues that Mencius 2A:2 frequently alludes to Analects 2.4, and that this allusion is precisely the common thread holding 2A:2 together. According to Mencius’s interpretation, Confucius’s achievements in different ages as stated in Analects 2.4 are all related to the political consideration of whether one ought to remain in a state and serve as its minister. In light of this, and with the support of other evidence from within the Mencius, it is argued that the question “would your mind-heart be perturbed?” at the beginning of the chapter can only mean “would your intention of leaving Qi 齊 be shaken by the fact that you had been appointed as its minister?” but not “would your intention of putting the Way into practice be shaken,” as suggested by Zhao Qi 趙岐 (?-210). Furthermore, it is shown that after the death of Mencius, his act of valor, namely, leaving Qi despite having already been appointed as a Qi minister, had become a shared cultural memory of early Chinese intellectuals. Whenever mentioning “unperturbed mind-heart” in their works, early intellectuals consistently evoked Mencius’s unmoved determination to reject any inappropriate political appointment even though the position could bring them fame and material comfort. The rise of Zhao Qi’s misreading in his commentary to Mencius, however, has led to the loss of this cultural memory.