Abstract: Pertaining to the relationship between Confucianism and rights, there are two opponent views in the academic circle:One holds that they are compatible, while the other insists that they are incompatible. The latter gradually shifts their viewpoint from "Confucianism does not deserve rights" to "rights do not deserve Confucianism". Those who hold that Confucianism and rights are incompatible deny either rights or Confucianism. In spite of this difference, they insist the special origin of "rights" and adopt a historicist methodology, believing that the discourse on "rights" cannot be applied to interpret Confucianism and even the ancient Western world. By analyzing the gist of the concept of "right" and the classification of rights and examining two different understandings of the origin of the concept of "right", especially anthropologic understanding, this paper reconstructs relative ideas in classic Confucianism with the discourse on rights so as to effectively interpret the Confucian idea of "right", convincingly respond to the arguments of those who hold that Confucianism and rights are incompatible and hence develop the doctrine that Confucianism and rights are compatible. This reconstruction of rights in Confucianism will benefit to the developments of both Confucianism and rights and defend the rationality and desirability of rights.

Key words: Confucianism, rights, deservedness, righteousness