自春秋時代以降，正統思想的內涵與貫穿，影響中國政治頗大，形成中國政治史一大特色，歷代發展衍義頗多，加上部分國君或史官有意導致「功能性的模糊」以正其身、正其朝，致使正統觀念，論爭不斷。薩孟武教授曾經指出：正統乃含有兩個觀念，一是倫理的觀念，取天下以「正」，二是政治的觀念，統天下於一，也就是兼及「王道理想」--「大居正」與「政治現實」--「大統一」才不致於誤解正統思想的兩義。 正統觀念，不但重覆出現於中國每一朝代，同時對鄰近的日、韓、越也產生極大影響；其論爭也不因中國滿清專制王朝之結束而止息，民國以降，蔣介石、毛澤東新、舊三民主義之爭，聯合國中國代表權中漢賊不兩立之議……等，都與正統思想有關。因此正統思想研究，有其深遠價值，本文重點即以「儒家」思想中--正統論為分析之主軸，探討此一思想之本義，及其與道統的關係，並述其導致的論爭，且輔以現代政治合法性（legitimacy）的觀念，探究此一觀念如何經由批判性繼承與創造性轉化而得以轉型，以符合當代合法性之需要，這是本文論述的旨趣所在。

From the Era of Spring and Autumn, the content and penetration of orthodoxy thought had greatly influenced Chinese politics. Orthodoxy thought came of be a great characteristic of the history of Chinese politics. But, many kinds of amplification of it appeared in successive dynasties; moreover, some emperors and historiographers made it vague in function on purpose in order to justify their thrones and dynasties. Consequently, disputation on the notion of orthodoxy happended incessantly. Prof. Sah Menq-wuu pointed out: Orthodoxy is composed of two notions. One is the ethical notion that emphasizes righteousness of the establishment of a new dynasty or ascending the throne. Another is the political notion that emphasizes unification of the whole realm. We should understand the both aspects--the ideal of "the kingly way of justice" ("great residence in righteousness") and political reality ("great unification")--of the notion of orthodoxy, then we will not misinterpret the two main meanings of orthodoxy thought. The notion of orthodoxy not only repeatedly appeared in every dynasty of China, but also had tremendous influence on neighboring Japan, Korea and Vietnam. In China, the disputation on the notion of orthodoxy did not cease with the end of the autocratic Dynasty of Ching. From the republic epock of China, the contest between Ching Kai-Shek's old Three Principles of the People and Mao Tse-tung's new Three Principles of the People, the debate on the subject that the Han people nd their traitors should not co-exist in the United Nations, and so forth all had relation to orthodoxy thought. Therefore, the research on orthodoxy thought is of deep and far-reaching value. The main point of this treatise is to analyze the theory of orthodoxy of Confucian thought by exploring the original meanings of orthodoxy thought and the relation between it and the system of transmitted orthodox teachings. Moreover, the author states the disputation caused by it, and, under the assistance of the notion of modern political legitimacy, explores how this notion (of orthodoxy) obtains transmutation through critical succession and creative transformation in order to correspond to the need of legitimacy of the present age. This is the purpose of the statement of this treatise.