作为一种传统文学批评方法，“以意逆志”说在后世经历了由说《诗》之法到说诗之法、读书之法、批评之法的转变，而西方近现代文学理论的影响在增进人们对此方法认识的同时，也多了某些疑惑。事实上，“以意逆志”方法具有较大的开放性和兼容性，不但可以整合同样出自孟子的“知人论世”说及后世学人的理解发挥，而且能够吸纳外来的诠释之学，对于当下的文学批评、研究仍具有难以替代的指导意义。

As a traditional method of literary criticism, the theory of using one's understanding to trace back the writers mind has gone through changes from the method of explaining the poems of the Book of Songs, to the method of explaining all kinds of poems, reading and literary criticism in later generations. The influence of western modern literary theory promotes our understanding of this method and meanwhile increases the confusion. In effect, this method has characteristics of openness and inclusiveness, and therefore it not only integrates another method of knowing the person and considering his times from Mencius and its understanding from later scholars, but also integrates theories of external, classical and modern hermeneutics. It serves as irreplaceable guidance in current literary criticism and research.