傳統中國的婚姻家庭制度是「一夫一妻多妾」，一個男性除了正妻之外，事實上可以擁有一個以上的妾，而實際上造成一夫多妻的結果。到了清末民初，隨著個人主義與男女平等思潮的引進，傳統中國的婚姻家庭制度的格局面臨衝擊，妾在法律上的地位面臨重新的規制。在肯定傳統中國妾制存在合法性的前提下，大理院藉由肯定妾身為家屬的地位，以及基於其身分與功能賦予各種適當的財產權，致力於穩固妾在家庭中的地位，並拉近其與妻的差距。而由於違反男女平等，妾制的正當性持續受到質疑與批判，最後甚至隨著國民政府制訂民法典的立法事業而走入歷史。然而儘管現行民法並無妾制的存在餘地，但對於在民法施行前已經產生的夫妾關係，由於不溯及既往原則，民法承認其效力，法院對於相關的法律問題又有審理的需要，此時大理院的司法實踐經驗又對最高法院有所影響。雖然由於時代潮流與立法政策的變遷，大理院就妾問題所作出的判解並未對於後來的身分法立法有直接的影響，但對於妾這個法律上的事實存在，大理院所為的判例還是對於後來的司法實踐有示範作用。

In traditional Chinese society, a man could marry a wife as well as one or more concubines. Because of the gender inequity, the marriage of concubine was stark criticized in the early republican period and the right and obligations of concubines needed to be regulated in a new way. As the Supreme Court in the early republican period, Daliyuan recognized the concubines as family members and their property rights so as to protect them from the mishandling of the husband’s family and raise their status. The legality of concubine hasn’t been legally recognized any more since the enactment of the Civil Code 1931. However, the concubinage before the promulgation of Civil Code was still legally recognized. The judicial system needs to deal with various issues for this kind of relationship. The experiences of Daliyuan could also provide a guideline for the Supreme Court.