论赠与合同的任意撤销

On the Arbitrary Revocation of the Donation Contract

为缓和赠与关系中义务的片面性,《合同法》设置了赠与人的任意撤销权,由此,对赠与合同的理解,须以有别于有偿合同的观念为出发点。赠与人的任意撤销性质上系广义撤销之一种,与撤回、解除均存差异。按任意撤销权的制度宗旨,赠与人在撤销赠与后,原则上不对受赠人承担责任,即使造成了相对人某种程度的损失,这与《合同法》第189条并不冲突,因为后者的规范对象是第186条第2款所规定的赠与。惟赠与人任意撤销权的行使,须以诚实信用为准则,若有违对相对人的保护义务,则应对其信赖损失承担责任,具体把握可参照美国法中的允诺禁反言。赠与人责任性质上系法定债务不履行责任。

As the counterbalance to the unilateral obligation in the donation relationship,the Contract Law grants the donor the right to revoke the donation arbitrarily,accordingly,the understanding to the donation contract shall be based on a different start-ing point from that of the contract with consideration.The donor’s right of arbitrary revocation is one category of the general revo-cation,and it is different from withdraw and termination.In compliance with the purpose of the right of arbitrary revocation rule,in principle,the donor shall not be liable for the donator after the donor revokes the donation,even if such revocation caused cer-tain loss to the opposite party.This is not in conflict with Article 189 of the Contract Law,because article 189 is intended to gov-erning the donation provided under item 2 of Article 186.However,the exercise by the donor of the right of arbitrary revocation shall be in good faith,if such exercise violates the protective duty to the opposite party,the donor should be liable for the reliance loss of the opposite party,and the promissory estoppels under the Anglo-American law could be of reference in judging such vio-lation and liability.The donors’ liability is the statutory liability for the default of obligations.