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Full Idea
The 'hermeneutic circle' consists in the fact that an interpretation of part of a text requires a prior understanding of the whole, and the interpretation of the whole requires a prior understanding of its parts.
Gist of Idea
The 'hermeneutic circle' says parts and wholes are interdependent, and so cannot be interpreted
Source
Thomas Mautner (Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy [1996], p.247)
Book Ref
Mautner,Thomas: 'Dictionary of Philosophy' [Penguin 1997], p.247
A Reaction
This strikes me as a benign circle, solved the way Aristotle solves the good man/good action circle. You make a start somewhere, like a child learning to speak, and work your way into the circle. Not really a problem.