本文以大理院（1912-1928）十二則有關「誠信原則」的判決例與解釋例為主要論述素材，將這些素材劃分為「權利之行使及擔保、情事變更原則、權利濫用之禁止、暴利之禁止、違約金之酌減」等五個「誠信原則」下的次位領域，整理大理院推事的認事用法，並附上分析與評論，進而探究推事的「法律技術」以及社會大眾的「倫理規範」之間的「難離關係」，究係如何反映在近代中國的「法律近代化」過程中。 表面上，是分析大理院十二則案例相關文字中如何運用「誠信原則」近代西方法律概念，實際上，是在分梳清末民國「繼受」德國、瑞士、日本民法的歷程；意在探討晚清民初民法「法律繼受」的傳統與近代、常與變。而憑藉的主要資料，是學界較罕有人利用的大理院原始檔案中的司法案例；以當代民法的相關法律概念，一方面，追源「誠信原則」在歐陸法制史上的變遷，另一方面，則上溯「誠信原則」在傳統中國法律實踐的可能表現方式；而最後導出傳統中國民事審判中的「情理」與民初大理院司法實踐中「條理」在追求「社會正義」過程的同與異。

This Article intends to focus on the discussion of twelve sets of Ta-Li-Yuan’s precedents and rulings regarding the “Principle of Integrity” during the years of 1912 to 1928. This Articles also divides them into five groups subordinated to the “Principle of Integrity”, including “Execution of Rights and Warranty”, “Principle of Fundamental Changes”, “Prohibition of Abuse of Rights”, “Prohibit of Extortionate Profits” and “Proportionately Reduction of Default Payment”, with purposes to examine how the Judges of Ta-Li-Yuan investigated the facts and interpreted the laws: The relevant analysis and comments will be presented and this Article further explores how the process of the modern Chinese legal evolution is affected by the closely intertwined. relationship between the “legal technology” of the Judges and the “ethics” of the society. It appears that this Article analyzes the application of the “Principle of Integrity” embedded in the modern western legal concepts based on the said twelve sets of Ta-Li-Yuan’s precedents and rulings. However, in reality, this Article further examines the historical process of the adoption of the Civil Code of Germany, Switzerland and Japan in the legal systems during the period of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, with the purposes to explore “the tradition versus the modern times” and “the permanence and the changes” exited in the “legal evolution” of the Civil Code during the said period. The materials referred to in this Article are the juridical cases compiled in the original Ta-Li-Yuan files which are seldom used by the academics. Based on the relevant legal concepts of the modern Civil Code, we will, on the one hand, trace back the evolution of the “Principle of Integrity” existed in the European legal regimes, and, on the other hand, track the possible expressions of the “Principle of Integrity” executed in the traditional Chinese laws. In the end, we will introduce the similarity and the differences regarding the pursuit of the “social justice” between the “thoughts of the mercy” executed in the traditional Chinese laws and the “legal principles” adopted by the juridical cases of the early Republic of China.