论合同当事人合意范围的界定与内容合并条款——以中国《民法典》为中心的解释论构造

Definition of the Scope of Contracting Parties’Agreement and the Merge Clause:An Interpretation of the Related Clauses in Chinese Civil Code

界定合同当事人合意的范围是否以合同书为准,需要考虑当事人在合同书之外所作出的允诺、约定等内容是否符合特定的条件,从而成为合同的组成部分。如果当事人在合同书中设立内容合并条款,明确限定其合意范围局限于合同书,需要考虑相关的约定是否属于格式条款。内容合并条款的排除效力仅在作为单独磋商条款时才具有合理性。在存在内容合并条款的情况下,合同书之外的允诺、约定仍然可以作为解释合同的参考资料。

Whether the written documents shall prevail in determining the scope of the contracting parties’agreement or not should take into consideration the fact whether the promise made by the parties other than recorded in the written documents is fulfilled with specific requirements and thus becomes part of the contract.If the parties set up a merger clause in the contract,explicitly limiting the scope of their agreement to the written document,it is necessary to consider whether the merger clause is a standard clause.The exclusionary effect of a merger clause is only justified by separate negotiation.With the existence of the merger clause,the oral evidence other than the written document can still be used as reference for the interpretation of the contract.