先秦時期一度繁盛的名辯思潮至秦漢之際逐漸消亡，但以廣義的名學視域觀之，漢代仍然有名學。一方面，黃老思想中「循名責實」的名學主張體現為漢初上至統治者的意識形態，下至郡縣官僚制度得以運行的理論內核；另一方面，儒家的「正名」思想在漢初儒生制禮定儀的過程中得以延續。及至董仲舒援「形名」以入「正名」，藉由黃老思想對於「道」、「名」關係的理論說明名號的來源及「正名」的重要性，並將漢初儒生對「名」的零散討論條理化，形成一套相對完備的名號學說。而在董仲舒之後，名學無論是以「名教」的形態得以發展，還是沈澱為對字訓、尤其是聲訓方法的重視，皆可在其「深察名號」的主張中找到端緒。

Pre-Qin’s Ming theory (名學) gradually declined during the Qin and Han dynasties, however, the discussion on name did not disappear. In early Han dynasty, “evaluating things and events by their names” (循名責實), as the proposal of Huang-Lao Taoism, worked as the theoretical basis of the system of prefectures and counties. Confucian scholars who worked on setting up the rites and etiquettes made name — as the first and most important part — stand out. These two clues were fused together in Dong Zhongshu’s proposal of “deeply examining names and designations” (深察名號). For one thing, Dong learned from the Huang-Lao Taoist theory of the relation between Dao and name to demonstrate the origin and importance of name. For another, he deepened the Confucius proposal of “rectifying names” by making former rough and scattered discussion systematic.