一九七三年出土的《黃帝四經》，帶動了近三十年的戰國黃老思想的研究。有了《黃帝四經》，學者才得以看到史稱「黃老」之「黃」。 《黃帝四經》的內容正是太史公所稱「因陰陽之大順，采儒墨之善，撮名法之要」的道家，是以老子的哲學整合春秋各家學術思想，而開 啟了戰國的「黃老之學」。 自子產「鑄刑書」、晉「鑄刑鼎」，李浬「造法經」，春秋戰國時代成為宗法封建轉向法治專制的時代，《黃帝四經》反映了以老子哲學 整合各家學說的時代思想，影響了戰國法家慎到、申不害、韓非。

The Four Texts of the Yellow emperor, unearthed 1973 in Mawangdui, leads the way of the study of Huang-lao thought since. And with it, the Huang of historian's Huang-lao came to the eyes of scholars nowadays. Contents of The Four Texts of the Yellow Emperor are exactly the description of Taoists by Tai Shi Gong (Historian of the Emperor) that "Bending to the alternation of Yin and Yang, adopting the positive aspects of Confucianism and Mohism, summing up the essentials of the schools of Min (Names) and Fa (Legalist)." Therefore the philosophy of Lao Tzu integrated thoughts of all school of Chung Qiu era, and lading the foundation of the study of Huang-lao thought in the following Warring States period. Zichan casted the Penal code, Jin Dynasty had the Penal Tripod, and Li Kui wrote Bible of Legalists, all spelled out the transformation of the society of patriarchal feudalism to that of legalist monarchy. In The Four Texts of the Yellow emperor we see the thought of that era, that is thoughts of every school of that period integrated with Lao Philosophy, which had its effect on Shen Dao, Sheng Bu Hai and Han Fei, legalists of the Warring States Period.