Abstract: Guo Xiang regards the ritual of benevolence as the content of individual self-nature,and seeks the metaphysical basis for the rational existence of ritual through the construction of the theory of nature.Believing "to act according to one's nature is to act for oneself",and "to keep one's nature is to be carefree",Guo Xiang explains the educational dimension of rites.Based on the concept of "divine man is the holy king" and "to travel outside is to contemplate the inner mind",Guo expounds the direction of ruling the country by rites,and then establishes a new ethical order in accordance with "nature".His metaphysical thought system takes political philosophy as its conversion and has obvious characteristics of ritual.

Key words: metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, GUO Xiang, theory of ritual