「父母之命、媒妁之言」可以說是傳統中國婚姻成立的最重要條件，父母或其他尊長的意思可以決定婚姻之締結與否，而實際上要結婚的男女雙方，其意願在禮制與法制上卻非要件。傳統律典更有一系列的規定以彰顯父母等尊長對於子女婚姻的主導地位。到了清末民初，隨著歐陸民法的引進以及社會環境的變遷，傳統中國的婚姻觀受到質疑與挑戰，身為最高審判機關，而因緣際會地兼具立法職能的大理院，也體察世變，嘗試改造傳統中國的婚姻制度。大理院在判解中運用了民律第一次草案所引進的西方民法制度，肯定結婚男女的當事人地位。儘管在民初實際作為民事審判法源的現行律民事有效部分，係延續傳統中國的婚姻制度，而為了遵循其立法意旨，大理院仍尊重尊長對於卑幼婚姻的主導權，但整體而言更重視的其實是子女的結婚意願，且靈活運用撤銷制度以及代理權制度，以賦予子女影響婚姻命運之機會。大理院的作為固然影響了民律第二次草案，其尊重婚姻當事人結婚意思的意旨，則延續到其後的國民政府法制局親屬法草案以及現行民法親屬編。

In ancient China, the agreement to marry and the conclusion of marriage were determined mainly by the parents of both parties rather than their own intents. Such characteristic was also emphasized in the traditional codes. In the early Chinese Republican period, Daliyuan, the Supreme Court in that period, had gradually taken the intent of the parties into consideration. And yet the Parents of the future spouse still had significant influence to the marriage. Daliyuan asserted that the future spouse were the parties in the marriage. It also makes use of the institutes of Agency and revoke of juridical acts to give the parties of marriage to determine the legal efficacy of the agreement or conclusion of marriage. The judicial practices of Daliyuan have influenced not only the Second Draft of Civil Code in 1925 but also the Part of Family in the contemporary Civil Code of the Republic of China.