綜觀現今社會對「肚兜」一詞的銓釋，充斥著模糊不清甚至是相互矛盾的說法，「肚兜」一詞與中國歷史脈絡的關連究竟為何？「肚兜」款式真實的樣貌到底又為何？諸多疑惑令人費解，針對這些問題與迷團引發研究者想針對「肚兜」此一「專有名詞」，進行探究的動機。經由廣泛蒐集到的相關的古籍史料文獻、文物影像以及實際肚兜文物的佐證發現：若要明確「肚兜」的歷史定義，必須掌握兩個關鍵，一是它的「稱呼」，另一則是它的「樣貌」。就「稱呼」而言，透過文獻的佐證，「肚兜」一詞的出現是在明代。從明代到清朝在當時文句上的慣用，稱呼「肚兜」一詞比較像是指「繫在腰邊」做為「藏物與納物」之用的「腰包」，而不像是「置於胸前的一片方巾」。至於「置於胸前的一片方巾」，明清時期則是用「抹胸」、「兜肚」一詞來稱呼。以「肚兜」一詞做為今日所認知的共同稱呼，是要到民國初年，當「漢語標準語」（國語／普通話）定型，並成為國民政府的官方標準用語之後，才逐漸確立而成。至於就今日我們所認知「肚兜」的「樣貌」，根據傳世文物的相關影像來看，早在唐代就已有了雛形，但一直要到清朝，才逐漸發展出如今日我們所認知「肚兜」的樣貌。另外，根據實際大量不同區域傳世肚兜文物的實物分析，可以肯定的是，今日我們所認知的「肚兜」，其款式的概念雖有一定的明確性，但它是會因不同地區而形成出不同特色的差異。

The interpretations on the term ＂dudou(bellyband)＂ in modern society is quite ambiguous and even contradictory. What is the relationship between the term ＂dudou＂ and the Chinese historical context? What are the true styles of ＂dudou＂? There are many questioned to be answered. Therefore, the researcher intends to conduct a deeper discussion on the proper noun: ＂dudou.＂ After collecting a wide range of the related historical documents, the images of cultural relics and the real ones, I have the following findings: If we want to have a clear historical definition of ＂dodou,＂ we have to start from two key elements. One is ＂how it is called＂ while the other is ＂how it looks.＂ In terms of ＂how it is called,＂ the documents have shown that the term ＂dudou＂ first appeared in Ming Dynasty. Besides, the texts from Ming Dynasty to Qing Dynasty indicate that the term ＂dodou＂ seems to mean the ＂waist bag＂ which is carried at the waist for placing some personal items rather than ＂a square piece of cloth in front of the chest.＂ In Ming and Qing Dynasty, it was called ＂moxiong＂ and ＂doudu.＂ The term ＂dudou,＂ as we recognize today, came to exist at the beginning years of ROC when Hanyu, the standard Mandarin, took form and became the official standard language adopted by the government. As for ＂how it looks,＂ the ＂dudou＂ style we recognize today took shape as early as Tang Dynasty but didn't gradually develop into the concrete style until Qing Dynasty. According to a large number of analyses on the cultural relics of dudou in different regions, what can be confirmed is that the ＂dudou＂ we recognize today has some certainty in terms of the concepts of style and structure. However, the ＂dudou＂ in different regions may be presented with different and unique characteristics.