從堯、舜、禹、湯，到孔子、曾子、子思、孟子之傳，北宋諸儒題稱聖賢系譜從政治轉為儒學，進而回歸於心性，轉折之中，終於確認儒學內涵。朱熹以「道統」強化四書體系，並以二程傳其絕學，形塑宋代儒學成就。檢討北宋以來諸儒思考題稱線索，得見朱熹承繼的脈絡，「道統」並不是新異詞彙，也不是諸多概念的混合，而是累聚數代儒者追尋聖人的軌跡，以及投身於儒學實踐當中的心得與情懷，在政治實踐、儒學傳承，以及回歸於心性之中，遞進發展，相互融通，終於重構儒學史觀，朱熹以「道統」完成一種聖賢系譜的宣誓與聲明，蓄積既久，才有感動人心的力量。本文藉由更廣泛的背景考察，對於朱熹「道統」論述似乎有了更清楚的方向。

According to scholars of the Northern Song Dynasty, through its passage from Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang to Confucius, Zengzi, Zisi, and Mencius, the genealogy of sages transformed from politics into Confucianism and then evolved further to mental character. In the process of transformation, the underlying meaning of Confucianism was finally confirmed. Zhu Xi used the Succession of the Way (daotong) to consolidate the system of the Four Books, while also applying Cheng Yi and Cheng Hao’s great learning to mold the achievements of Confucianism in the Song Dynasty. A reappraisal of the the development of Confucian thought since the Northern Song requires an investigation of the sequence of ideas inherited by Zhu Xi. The “Succession of the Way” is not a new term, nor is it a blending of various concepts. In fact, it is the accumulation of many scholars’ research and practice of Confucianism, in the areas of politics as well as mental character, which could be used to reconstruct the historical viewpoint of Confucianism. Zhu Xi used the Succession of the Way, which had undergone a synthetic process of development and was full of emotive force, to declare the genealogy of the sages. In this paper, I will investigate the background of the Succession of the Way extensively in order to thoroughly explain Zhu Xi’s discourse.