This article addresses certain key concepts promoted by Emperor Yung- cheng in the Ta-yi-chueh-mi-lu in his ideological justification of the Manchu rule over China. Aside from helping with military suppression and political control, ideology played an important role in the Ch'ing success. By employing orthodox Confucian theories and related concepts, Yung-cheng aimed to justify his political ideas by means of his symbolic discourse with Ming loyalists like Tseng Ching. To protect andexp and the Manc u's political rule in China, Yung-cheng fostered an image of political legitimacy for himself as a legitimate successor of the Ming Dynasty. Yung-cheng also played an active role in the reconstruction of the relationship between the Han Chinese and the Manchu race, revealing his awareness of the problem of locating the meaning of "Manchu" itself. The article examines the theoretical implications of such notions as "Sinicization," "political legitimacy" and the "loyalty of the subject to the ruler" in unders tanding the Manchu's claims forpolitical legitimacy, and relates these concepts to the political despotism expressed during his rule. Yung-cheng's articulation of these notions in the process of consolidating political order was written in order to chal-lenge the popular Ming loyalists' arguments against Manchu rule. By situating his notions in their contemporary social and political context,it can be seen how Yung-cheng successfully presented the Ch'ing dynasty as the legitimate occupant of the imperial throne. Through his ability to "capitalize" on the intellectual favor of Ming loyalists, Yung-cheng demonstrated the importance placed on honoring Confucian doctrines during the Manchu's rule over China. A special attempt to reconcile the differences between the Han Chinese and the Manchus may be seen in Yung-cheng's interpretation of Sinicization. The great significance of the Ta-yi-chueh-mi-lu lies in the fact that the "winner" helped to set the ideological agenda concerning the orthodoxy of the Manchu st ate over the next two centuries.