It is said that the Ritsuryo system can be traced back as far as the Qin and Western Han periods; but strictly speaking, it emerged and gradually developed in China during the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties.
律令制の祖形は、古く秦・前漢期まで遡るともいわれているが、厳密に言えば、律令制は中国の魏晋南北朝時代において出現し、徐々に形成されていった。