即将跨入21世纪的中国，面临着建设社会主义市场经济和法治国家的双重任务。市场经济呼唤法治，同时又为法治的健全与发展提供了土壤。但是，依法治国，建设社会主义国家是一个前无古人的创举，也是宏大的系统工程，任重而道远。本文试图通过中西方法治传统的比较分析，探索中 It is about to enter the 21st century in China and face the dual task of building a socialist market economy and a country governed by the rule of law. The market economy calls for the rule of law and at the same time provides the soil for the soundness and development of the rule of law. However, governing the country according to law and building a socialist country are an unprecedented undertaking and a grand systematic project with a long way to go. This article tries to pass the comparative analysis and exploration of the tradition of the rule of law in China and the West