《老子想爾注》吸收了漢代神仙方術、養生術、房中術及讖緯神學等內容，並以老子「道」論建立其神學的核心，是原始道教注老的重要文獻。然《想爾注》對《老子》進行道教式的解說，使成為道教尊崇的對象，似有「利用」《老子》之嫌，而不同於一般為闡明經文的注疏學。
故對《老子想爾注》進行詮釋方法的考察，有助於理解《老子》在多大的程度上「涉入」了道教教義。本文擬以《老子想爾注》為核心，除了梳理其注疏《老子》時所採取的詮釋策略，再進一步對比《老子河上公章句》及王弼《老子道德經注》中對《老子》的詮釋與運用。同時比較楚竹簡與漢帛書的經文，指出《老子想爾注》依「選字」、「減字」、「斷句」及「移義」等方法，調整《老子》經文，藉以引申出其道教長生成仙之說。

“Lao-Zi Xiang-Er Commentary” is the important interpretation of
Taoism of Lao-Zi. It is very different from other Commentary to Lao-Zi and
covered some new ground like health-preserving, celestial, and Fun-Chang
(房中) thought. We care about, Xiang-Er Commentary has absorbed Lao-Zi to
what degree. In other words, it changed how much significance from
commenting Lao-Zi. This article draws up by “Lao-Zi Xiang-Er
Commentary” are the core, the annotation strategy which except combs its
explanatory notes and commentaries Lao-Zi when adopts, again further
contrasts “Lao-Zi He-Shang-Kung Zhang-Ju” and Wang-Pi “Lao-Zi
Dao-De-Jing Commentary” center to Lao-Zi annotation and utilization. The
study reorganizes “Lao-Zi Xiang-Er Commentary” to use any method to
explain “Lao-Zi”. Finally, this article pointed out “Lao-Zi Xiang-Er
Commentary” depend on “choose the character”, “to reduce the character”,
“punctuate” and “move righteousness” and so on the method, adjusts
“Lao-Zi” the religious texts, so as to expands its Taoism immortal to become an immortal it to say.