The 18th National Congress proposed to foster the socialist core values of the “rule of law”. To promote the “rule of law” is an important decision of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. Strengthening the cultivation of the “rule of law” values will contribute to the construction of the rule of law in China. Cultivating the core values of socialism is the key prerequisite for people to understand the connotation of values deeply. By analyzing “What is the rule of law?” and “Why should the rule of law act as the core values of socialism?”, it is revealed that “rule of law” value is the sublation of Chinese traditional legal culture and the inheritance of Marxist concept of the “rule of law” and that cultivating the core values of the“rule of law” is the need to develop the socialist market economy. Therefore, fostering“rule of law” values is not only a must for history, but also a task for the right time.