本文探討復仇觀在兩漢魏晉南北朝時期的轉化之跡：就此一時期復仇觀的遞嬗／轉變、官方的法令規範與執法態度、輿論所反映的復仇觀，以及復仇與法律互涉的相關問題等進行省察與詮釋。文中指出：自西漢至南北朝的復仇觀，在與官方法律的互動之下，反映出「忠」、「孝」兩種倫理的拉扯。面對私義的「孝」／「禮」與公義的「忠」／「法」概念的衝突，復仇觀在這一時期發生了多次的變化：漢代－尤其是東漢－較傾向於認同復仇；曹魏當政者則意識到漢代寬縱復仇所導致的問題，遂明訂禁止復仇的相關律令。南北朝分裂後，對復仇與法律的態度則南北有別：南朝強調孝義倫理，對復仇採寬赦，甚至肯定的態度；北朝則傾向於強調「忠」，透過將「忠」定義為「大孝」，將其內涵國家化，同時也在法律上明令禁止復仇。

Filial piety, as the core value of Confucian ethics, is readily transposed into an ethics of loyalty: that is, obedience to one’s master as opposed to obedience to one’s father. In theory, these two lines of loyalty should not be in conflict with each other. However, revenge, a principle based on filial piety, inevitably conflicts with law and justice, a sphere dominated by loyalty. In the light of this conflict between loyalty to the law and filial piety, this paper looks at changes in traditional views toward revenge from the Han dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties. While revenge was given precedence during the Han dynasty, the rulers of the Wei dynasty enacted laws curbing the act of revenge in order to enforce the state monopoly on violence. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a tolerant, even positive attitude towards revenge dominated in the south, while in the north loyalty to law was placed above filial piety and laws were put in place prohibiting acts of revenge.