由战国而至西汉，是“礼”的转型阶段，从文献中可见，无论作为礼学、礼制、礼法乃至礼义而言的“礼”的内涵都发生了重要转变，转变的核心线索是“士礼”对春秋以前礼法的继承、整合、创制以及被以超出其本身等级层次的形态加以实践应用。在这一过程中，“士礼”首先在“礼法”层面体系化，并在礼学学者的论说中，进而生成能够覆盖 “礼”之全部范畴的“礼义”，由此从理论而至实践，参与到西汉国家礼制的建设之中并对后世产生深远影响，在事实上形成了“士礼”的“升格”状态。

春秋以前，“礼”作为道德观念、仪式制度及伦理原则发挥着重要功用，虽然其本身呈现为贯通于上下的完整体系，但基于“礼”的不同目的指向来进行理解，可以将其划分为两重礼仪系统，即满足国家层面政治需求的礼仪系统和满足贵族日常生活需要的礼仪系统。这种划分是一种“礼”的理解方式而非制度实存，由此我们可以更好地观察西周以降“礼”的内容变化，即以政治为导向的国家层面的礼仪逐渐丧失，而贵族层面的礼仪则借由士阶层之手得以部分地保存下来。其原因一方面在于作为底层贵族的士阶层能够参与到贵族礼仪之中，另一方面，更重要的是随着知识文化的下行，士阶层得以获得更多礼仪知识并逐渐掌握了礼仪阐释的权力。

伴之以《仪礼》文献的编纂与最终完成，士阶层礼法在儒家学者的经营构建下形成体系，而作为一种体系的“士礼”成为了战国时期及之后“礼”的最重要依据来源。就文本性质而言，《仪礼》为“相礼者之书”，亦即为“相礼者”所使用以辅助礼仪仪式完成的礼书。这一性质的判断依据是《仪礼》中所记录的礼仪仪式，始终体现的是“相礼者”在礼器、方位、礼辞、仪式过程等各个方面所做出的引导。“相礼者”既是《仪礼》应用者同时也是文本编纂者，其现实身份是以宰、祝等家臣职务为主的儒家士人群体。《仪礼》中所记的各层次礼仪内容大体反映了儒者为代表的士人群体所能接触并记录的广度和高度，因此在士阶层礼法的体系化过程中，《仪礼》具有原典性意义。

士阶层礼法体系建立以后，顺应着春秋以来重“礼义”而轻“礼法”的礼学观念，并随着作为主流的儒者群体身份地位逐渐上行，“因义制礼”的礼学实践方式被确认并加以应用，其本质是以士阶层礼法作为“礼义”依据，再通过“礼义”来探讨和构拟更高层次的“礼法”，参与政治规划与建设。具体来看，“《礼记》类文献”中的“礼义”论说即通常以士阶层礼法为基础，《奔丧》、《投壶》等几篇被传统归为“逸礼”的篇章体现了由士阶层礼法向更高层次礼法的构拟实践。而《荀子》作为儒者进行国家政治设计的重要文献，不仅其“礼义”论说的底色是士阶层礼法，更通过对儒者群体的重新型塑，为“士礼”进入国家层面礼制建设做出理论铺垫。

“士礼”最终在汉代国家礼制建设中得以“升格”，所谓“升格”，具体是指“士礼”本身的士人身份属性被淡化，其中所包含的“礼义”尤其是“礼法”内容，被作为国家礼制建设的重要资源加以采用。西汉中前期，“士礼”尚未曾被制礼者所真正认可。汉初“士礼”由于不能为国家礼制及国家层面的礼仪活动提供礼法支持，导致儒生的礼仪阐释权力被剥夺，从而处于隐没和失效的状态。而西汉中后期，高堂生的“士礼”传及后仓，继而确立了官方礼学学术的正统地位，在石渠阁会议及郊祀宗庙等礼制改革等活动中，后仓后学分别从礼义论说和礼法实践的方面贯行了“推士礼以致天子”，促成了“士礼”的“升格”。在西汉末期的礼制改革、东汉初期的礼制重建及经义论辩等一系列政治及学术活动中，“士礼”的“升格”最终在事实上得到确认。

From the Warring States Period to the Western Han Dynasty, it was the transitional stage of "ritual". It can be seen from the literature that important changes have taken place in the connotation of "ritual" in terms of ritualism, ritual system, ritual law, and even ritualism. The core clue of the transformation is " the ritual of scholars " inherited, integrated, and created ritual laws before the Spring and Autumn Period, and were applied in practice in a form beyond their own hierarchical levels. In this process, the " the ritual of scholars " is first systemized at the level of "ritual law", and in the argumentation of ritual scholars, the "ritual law" that can cover all the categories of "ritual" is generated. As for the practice, it participated in the construction of the ritual system of the Western Han Dynasty and had a profound impact on later generations. In fact, it formed the "upgrading" state of " the ritual of scholars ".

Before the Spring and Autumn Period, " ritual " played an important role as a moral concept, ritual system, and ethical principle. Although it itself appeared as a complete system connected from above and below, it can be understood based on the different purposes of " ritual " and can be divided into two etiquette systems is the etiquette system that meets the political needs of the country and the etiquette system that meets the daily needs of the nobles. This division is a way of understanding "rituals" rather than the actual existence of the system. From this we can better observe the changes in the content of "rituals" since the Western Zhou Dynasty, that is, the politically-oriented national etiquette is gradually lost, while the nobility the level of etiquette was partially preserved by the hands of the scholar class. The reason is that, on the one hand, the scholar class, as the lower aristocracy, can participate in aristocratic etiquette. On the other hand, with the decline of knowledge and culture, the scholar class can gain more knowledge of etiquette and gradually master the power of etiquette interpretation.

Accompanied by the compilation and final completion of the "Yi Li" literature, the the ritual law of scholars formed a system under the management and construction of Confucian scholars, and " the ritual of scholars " as a system became the most important basis for "ritual" in the Warring States period and after. As far as the nature of the text is concerned, "Ritual" is a "book of the ceremonial person", which is a ritual book used by the " ceremonial person " to assist in the completion of ritual ceremonies. The basis for the judgment of this nature is the ritual ceremonies recorded in "Yi Li", which always reflects the guidance of the " ceremonial person " in various aspects such as ritual equipment, location, ritual speech, and ritual process. The " ceremonial person " is not only the applicator of "Yi Li" but also the text editor. Its real identity is a group of Confucian scholars who mainly serve as vassals such as Zai and Zhu. The etiquette content of each level recorded in "Yi Li" roughly reflects the breadth and height that the scholar group represented by Confucian scholars can contact and record. Therefore, in the process of systematization of the gentry class, "Yi Li" is original significance.

After the establishment of the ritual law system of the scholar class, it conformed to the ritual concept of emphasizing "ritual meaning" and neglecting "ritual law" since the Spring and Autumn Period, and gradually ascending the status of the mainstream Confucian group, the practice method of ritualism of "making rituals based on righteousness" to be confirmed and applied, its essence is to use the ritual law of the scholar class as the basis of "ritual meaning", and then use "ritual meaning" to explore and construct higher-level " ritual law " and participate in political planning and construction. Specifically, the theory of "ritual meaning" in "Li Ji" is usually based on the ritual law of the scholar class, and the chapters such as "Ben Sang" and "Tou Hu" are traditionally classified as "Lost Ritual". From the scholar-class rites to the construction and practice of higher-level rituals. As an important document for Confucian national political design, "Xun zi" is not only based on the scholar-class etiquette, but also through the reshaping of the Confucian group, it has make a theoretical foundation of "the ritual of scholars"by entered the national-level ritual system construction.

" the ritual of scholars " was finally "upgraded" in the construction of the national ritual system in the Han Dynasty. The so-called "upgrading" refers to the fact that the scholarship attribute of " the ritual of scholars " itself was watered down, and the "ritual meaning" contained in it, especially the "ritual law", is adopted as an important resource for the construction of the national ritual system. In the early period of the Western Han Dynasty, " the ritual of scholars " had not been truly recognized by those who made rituals. In the early Han Dynasty, " the ritual of scholars " was unable to provide ritual support for the national ritual system and ritual activities at the national level, which led to the deprivation of the power of ritual interpretation of Confucian students, and thus was in a state of disappearance and ineffectiveness. In the middle and late Western Han Dynasty, the "the ritual of scholars" that inherited from Gao Tangsheng to Hou Cang was established the orthodox position of official etiquette academics by Hou Cang. In activities such as the Shiqu Pavilion meeting and the ceremonial reform of the national sacrifice and ancestral temple, Hou Cang’s students carried out the principle “make the ritual of emperor by the ritual of scholars”, that led to the "upgrade" of the " the ritual of scholars ". In the reform of the ritual system at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, the reconstruction of the ritual system and the argumentation of classics at the beginning of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the "upgrading" of " the ritual of scholars " was confirmed.