Still in his early thirties, he went to France to teach and to study at the University of Paris under the noted French sinologist Paul Demieville. There he earned a second doctorate with a dissertation on the poet Hsi K'ang (also pronounced Chi K'ang), who lived from 223 to 262.
一九五七年，年方卅出頭的侯思孟到法國教書兼遊學，受教於法國漢學大師戴密微（Paul Demieville）門下，又以「嵇康」為主題，獲得巴黎大學中文博士學位。