Abstract: In the Qing Dynasty,the study of rites and ethics received much attention,which was almost comparable to the Western Zhou Dynasty.Ling Tingkan,a Hui Confucian in the middle of the Qing Dynasty,had rich thought of rites.His thought of rites had distinct aesthetic characteristics and rich aesthetic meaning,which could be presented from three aspects:firstly,the core of Ling Tingkans thought of rites was “acting by rites”,which was the continuation of the ideological trend of “Rites” since the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty.It paid attention to the perception,emotion and personal nature of moral education,and emphasized the symbolism of etiquette,which could show the aesthetic characteristics of Ling Tingkans thought of etiquette from a macro perspective;Secondly,based on the perceptual presentation,emotional basis,symbolic significance and educational(aesthetic)goal of rites,this paper restructures its propositions of rites from the perspective of aesthetic methodology,and then presents the aesthetic implication of its thoughts of rites in the traditional discourse system of China;Thirdly,by comparing with the ritual thought of Fang Dongshu,the representative of the “Song school” at the same time,it further demonstrates the foundational characteristics of paying attention to aesthetics in his ethical thought.

Key words: Ling Tingkan, ritualism, aesthetics, acting by rites, art