《民法典》第533条情势变更原则的适用边界研究——以与商业风险的区分为核心

Study on the Application Boundary of the Principle of Change of Circumstances under Article 533 of the Civil Code—Focusing on the Distinction from Commercial Risks

摘要: 《民法典》第533条正式确立了情势变更原则，为合同成立后因客观情况发生重大变化而陷入履行困境的当事人提供了司法救济路径。然而，该原则在司法实践中的适用始终存在与商业风险难以清晰区分的困境。过度适用会损害合同严守的基石，动摇交易安全；适用不足则无法实现实质公平，有悖于该制度的初衷。因此，精准界定情势变更原则的适用边界，核心在于构建一套可操作的、能与商业风险进行有效区分的标准体系。本文以“与商业风险的区分”为核心，旨在系统研究情势变更原则的适用边界。

Abstract: Article 533 of the Civil Code formally establishes the principle of change of circumstances, providing a judicial remedy for parties who fall into performance difficulties due to significant changes in objective circumstances after the conclusion of a contract. However, in judicial practice, the application of this principle has always faced the dilemma of being difficult to clearly distinguish from commercial risks. Excessive application will undermine the cornerstone of strict contract observance and shake the security of transactions; insufficient application, on the other hand, will fail to achieve substantive fairness and run counter to the original intention of this system. Therefore, the core of accurately defining the application boundary of the change of circumstances principle lies in constructing an operable standard system that can effectively distinguish it from commercial risks. Focusing on the “distinction from commercial risks”, this paper aims to systematically study the application boundary of the change of circumstances principle.