魏晋易代之际的臣子中，司马孚是其中最特别的一位，其一生历仕汉、魏、晋三朝，在宦海浮沉中官职逐步升迁。司马孚作为司马家族元老人物，在司马家亡魏代晋的过程中颇有功绩，未能阻止司马家族篡夺皇位的举动，其一生却以魏臣身份自居，这也成为后世对其褒贬不一的主要原因。从汉末魏晋独特的时代背景来看，司马孚一生由黄巾之乱开始，在西晋建国后结束，基本经历了整个战乱不断、秩序崩塌的汉末三国时代，在漫长的时间里所吸取同时代人的经验促使他帮助家族；而自东汉以来开始逐渐盛行的隐逸风气，影响了司马孚后半生偏向隐逸的形象来源；与“不夷不惠”这一典故最初所形容的李仲元行事风格的相近则是读懂司马孚的关键。在这些因素的基础上， “忠”与“孝”的道德地位开始变动，门阀士族崛起兴盛，个人与家族的利益紧密捆绑的时代背景，也是促使司马孚在家国中抉择时优先考虑支持家族的一大原因。

Among the courtiers during the Wei and Jin dynasties, Sima Fu was the most unique one. Throughout his life, he served in the Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties and gradually rose in official positions amidst the ups and downs of the officialdom. As an elder figure of the Sima family, Sima Fu made significant contributions during the process of the Sima family's downfall during the Wei and Jin dynasties. He failed to prevent the Sima family from usurping the throne, but throughout his life, he proclaimed himself a Wei minister, which became the main reason for the mixed reviews of him in later generations. From the unique historical background of the late Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties, Sima Fu's life began with the Yellow Turban Rebellion and ended after the founding of the Western Jin dynasty. He basically experienced the entire Han and Three Kingdoms period, which was characterized by continuous wars and collapsing order. Over a long period of time, he learned from the experiences of his contemporaries and helped his family; The trend of seclusion that gradually prevailed since the Eastern Han Dynasty influenced the image source of Sima Fu's tendency towards seclusion in the latter half of his life; The similarity between Li Zhongyuan's style of action and the original description of the allusion of "not being barbaric but not benefiting" is the key to understanding Sima Fu. On the basis of these factors, the moral status of "loyalty" and "filial piety" began to change, and the rise and prosperity of aristocratic families, as well as the closely bound interests of individuals and families, were also major reasons that prompted Sima Fu to prioritize supporting the family when making decisions in the country.