Abstract:Confucius’ theory of justice is a doctrine of social justice, the whole structure of the questions of which is: benevolence→interests→intuition→justice→reason→rites→harmony. Confucius put forward the thoughts of that the rites should be decreaced and increased and held that the establishing of rules and the laying of its institutions depend upon the principle of justice. Principle of justice essentially is the principlization of the sence of justice as an intuition of ‘the Good Knowlege’. There are two criterions in fact in Confucius’ principle of justice; they are properness and fitness (timely fitness and conditional fitness). Confucius held that the reason why men put forward social rules-institutions and the questions of its justice is to resolve the problems of the conflicts of interests, and that the benevolence as ‘the Great Source’ of all not only leads to the conflicts of interests because of the degrees of love of it, but also resolves the problems because of the organic whole of the benevolence. Then again some reason as a tool is necessary to participate in the construction of the rules-institutions. The ultimate goal of Confucius’ theory of justice is social harmony or so-called ‘music’.
Key Words:Confucius; Theory of Justice; Benevolence; Justice; Rites