Forms of ownership in pre-capitalist societies are characterized by a multiplicity of overlapping qualities, making it impossible to totally understand them clearly and precisely. In view of this, one of the explanatory paths offered by historical materialism is that the historical formation of ownership in these societies is subjected to a combination of intertwined and intermingled factors,which leads to the multiple attributes of the concept. This is a powerful way of explanation, but it is based on the premise that the concept of “ownership” is capable of accurately capturing reality, which is reconsidered by the alternative explanatory path offered by historical materialism, The traditional meaning of “ownership”(Eigentum/property/propriété) includes the provision of private ownership.It understands pre-capitalist forms of ownership in terms of private ownership as a prototype, regarding them as complex variations of private ownership, which results in the multiple attributes of the concept, Moreover, this way of understanding also has the class attribute of defending capitalism.Marx's innovative understanding of the concept of “ownership” and his prototypical understanding of the phenomenon of ownership in terms of public ownership provide us with an important perspective for understanding the phenomenon of ownership beyond the bourgeois discourse. 

　　Editor: Zhong Yao  Liu Tingting 

　　From: Teaching and Research.2024.No.8.