Scholars often explain and construct the theory of Chinese etiquette with the phrase ”Jingli sanbai quli sanqian”, which has many interpretations. This paper first focuses on two authoritative interpretations, one given by Zheng Xuan and the other by Zhu Xi, in attempt to explain respectively their differences and effects. When solving the problems of the two statements about the real author and publication year, this paper explores the meaning of this phrase through an analysis of the phrase's context and other related exegetic materials. The importance of the phrase in Classic of Rites and their different exegeses is discussed in the end.