先秦儒學中仁、禮相互依存，而論者多將「仁」之意涵，定調為與外在規範「禮」之辯證下，道德主體或內在倫理的彰顯。筆者另擬進路，試圖由政治學範疇域中的正當性思考切入，指出先秦儒學之修身實踐，應置於君子重拾治理正當性的歷史脈絡之中來理解。於此視野下可知，有別於周人對於群眾採取消極性的防範立場以整民，儒者之核心目的乃在建立起君、民之間的內在鏈結，故有化民之見。筆者視禮制為君子治民之媒介，並由媒介功能的提升（化民），以及媒介正當性依據的改變（志道）兩端著手，以試圖挖掘「克己復禮」之深義，並藉此瞭解孔子論「仁」，當蘊含著於周人「民之父母」的擬親式治理想像下，進一步建構君／民實然同感的道德社群之意圖，是為共同體的想像與建構。

In Pre-Qin Confucianism, “ren” and “ritual” were interdependent, and “ren” was often defined as the demonstration of moral agency or immanent ethics dialogizing with external normativity of “ritual.” An alternative approach is then taken. By reviewing the concept of legitimacy in the politics of ancient China, this article argues that the self-cultivation practice in Pre-Qin Confucianism should be understood within the historical context of Junzi regaining the legitimacy of their ruling. From this perspective, it is clear that, in contrast to Zhou people’s passive attitude toward the masses in order to pacify the people, the main purpose of Confucianism was always about establishing the inner connection between the ruler and the people, which connotes the concept of civilizing people. This article takes “the system of rites” as a medium for Junzi to govern people and attempts to explore the meaning of “subdue one's self and return to propriety” (ke ji fu li) through the improvement of the function of “the system of rites” (i.e., to civilize people) and the changes of the legitimacy of the medium (i.e., to view dao as their goal). In this context, the way Confucian discussed “ren” may involve Zhou people’s fictive kinship, within which the ruler was viewed as the people’s parent. Under this governing imagination, an intention regarding a moral community where a mutual understanding is built between the ruler and the people is formed. An imagined community is thus constructed.