In previous research until now, there is not a reasonable interpretation concerning the substantial relation of Confucius’ political philosophy to “the ritual of Zhou”. However, Hegel’s famous thesis regarding the relation between philosophy and time throws light on the question. In fact, Confucius’ political philosophy is derived from the understanding of the rationality of “the ritual of Zhou”, and the main thoughts of this understanding are assertions and principles of “governance by moral force”. Although Confucius’ political philosophy was the owl of Minerva for the ritual of Zhou, the thought of “governance by moral force”, in which rites have a prior position to criminal law, is potentially capable of integrating the theory of the Legalist school and Confucianism. And consequently,the political philosophy of Confucianism that assimilated Legalist thoughts into itself became the central form of China’s traditional political philosophy, since Emperor Wu announced that Confucianism was to be the official state teaching in the former Han Dynasty.

Confucius; political philosophy; the ritual of Zhou; the governance by moral force