自有生民以來，即相伴地有死亡的問題；由於有死亡，於是有喪葬之需要；由於喪葬之儀式不足以安撫人死而歸於虛無的憂懼，於是繼而有喪禮的延長，以祭祀禮儀安頓人心。先秦儒家以其積極用世的態度，實現其對世人的現世關懷，於是投入關係人生最密切的喪葬工作，從實際輔助典禮的過程，辛勤地將儒家對於人文教化的用心與理想，點點滴滴地澆灌入人們的心靈，庶幾乎能由於情性的安頓，相對地提昇理性發展的空間，企圖通過禮儀的教化，而逐漸開展人文的光輝。由於有關先秦時期喪葬禮儀觀念最重要、最可靠的資料，當屬《儀禮》、《禮記》兩部典籍，因此本文萃取其中之精華，並輔以相關的考古發現，就其喪葬禮儀之規劃，說明制禮者事死如生的妥貼安排，更透過喪服制度的細密措施，陳述聖賢對於人文教化的精心設計。繼此之後，更透過墨子與莊子的不同論點，整合出儒家的喪葬觀念，乃是最能順應人類情性需要而傳諸久遠的合理構想。

　　　　　Funeral and burial rituals, like death, are a necessary part of life. The PreCh'in Confucian school of thought always wholeheartedly carried out funeral and burial rituals to ensure that complex ceremonies would be completed smoothly. Through these rituals, the Pre-Ch'in Confucian people hoped to teach how to temper emotioins with reason after a loved one had recently deceased. After grieving due to the passing away of a loved one, human beings would steadily become emotionally stronger. The most important scriptures on funeral and burial rituals are the Book of Ritual 儀禮 and the Book of Rites 禮記. This article combines the ideas from these two works with archeological findings to make the following conclusions. First, funeral and burial rituals stem from the customs of primitive societies. Second, the funeral arrangements were made with the same love and respect for the deceased as if they were still alive. The delicate mourning clothing system was designed to unite the family organization and to improve humanity. Third, by comparing the concept of funeral and burial ritual in the Mohist, Daoist and Confucian schools of thought, one finds that the concepts of funeral and burial rituals in the Confucian school of thought are the most reasonable and suitable for human beings.