對於儒家外推私德問題，學界存在兩種對立的觀點：一種觀點認為，私德之外推不利於社會公德的建設；另一種認為，私德之外推即是公德。兩者分歧的原因，在於對「私德」理解的偏重不同。前者偏重與私人關係相綑綁的私德，後者偏重未與私人關係相綑綁的私德。後一類私德本質上是超越於私人道德和公共道德的元道德。原始儒家所主張外推的，其實只是元道德。對元道德推展尺度的精準把握，不應完全訴諸個人的自我修養，更應該加強的是相關學術研究和社會教育。

There are two kinds of opposite viewpoints in educational circles about the Confucian problem of extending private morality: one kind of viewpoints thinks that, the extending of private morality makes against to the development of public morality. However, another kind of viewpoints thinks that, public morality is extended from private morality. The difference is due to their different emphasis on the understanding of “private morality”. The former emphasizes those private moralities which are tightly bound with private relationships; the latter emphasizes those private moralities which are not tightly bound with private relationships. The latter kind of private moralities are essentially meta-morality which transcends private moralities and public moralities. What the original Confucians advocate to extend are actually meta-moralities. To accurately grasp the scale of the extending of meta-morality, we should not totally appeal to individual self-cultivation, what should be enforced more are academic studies and social education.