This article elaborates the relationship between Arendt and Aristotle’s action theories. The author first affirms that Arendt learns from Aristotle’s concept of action，and believes that Aristotle’s distinctions between family and state，between labor，work and action provide a basic framework for Arendt’s action theory and her explanation for vitaactiva. Following Aristotle，Arendt believes the difference between family and state is the basis to distinguish private sphere and public sphere，and to distinguish freedom and necessity. Politics is not the means but the end，or the sanctity of politics is deprived. This distinction is the core in Arendt’s political theory. However the article also points out that，Arendt is different from Aristotle when discussing self-containedness. She feels the inner intension of Aristotle’s political theory and investigates the instrumentalism in the core of his concept of “praxis”. As for Aristotle，praxis（action）by politicians and citizens is eventually evaluated by its contribution to the justice of the state，that is，the common good. The value of action is not by itself but to achieve the highest good of the state. Therefore，action is still a method to Aristotle，whose distinction of praxis and poiēsis does not jump out of the teleological box of ethics and political philosophy.