Laws Come from What Is Appropriate
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法律是從道義產(chǎn)生的。這是西漢淮南王劉安提出的法理觀點。其基本看法是，法律是人為制定用來規(guī)范人自身的行為的，而法律制定的基礎(chǔ)或依據(jù)則是眾所公認(rèn)的道義。其中隱含著法律正義的觀念，和西方從古希臘羅馬到近代一脈相承的“正義說”遙相輝映。
The law is born of what is most appropriate. This was the viewpoint of Liu An, King of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty. His belief rests on the principle that laws are intentionally crafted by people, acting as a compass for guiding their conduct. The foundation on which laws are built, or their intrinsic rationale, springs from a collective moral consensus — a social agreement on what is deemed fitting and fair. Liu An's philosophy embeds a profound reflection on legal justice — a strand that parallels the Western narratives on justice that took root in ancient Greece and Rome and evolved through to the modern age.
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引例 Citations：
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◎法生于義，義生于眾適，眾適合于人心，此治之要也。（《淮南子·主術(shù)訓(xùn)》）
法律產(chǎn)生于道義，道義產(chǎn)生于眾人認(rèn)可的行為，眾人認(rèn)可的行為又合于人們的意愿，這是治國理政的關(guān)鍵所在。
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Law emanates from what is appropriate, appropriateness arises from a shared consensus, and this consensus resonates with the human heart. This is the fundamental principle of governance. (Huainanzi)
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◎法者，非天墮，非地生，發(fā)于人間，而反以自正。（《淮南子·主術(shù)訓(xùn)》）
所謂法律，不是從天上掉下來的，也不是從地下冒出來的，它產(chǎn)生于人類社會又反過來規(guī)范人自身的行為。
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Law does not drop from the sky or spring from the earth; it originates from the human world and, in turn, serves to rectify our actions. (Huainanzi)