小乘毗曇學是比大乘般若學在中國流行的時間更早，影響更深層的一種佛教思潮 。它與玄學崇有派在主張種族不變、性分不變的觀點上完全一致，是佛教「形謝神不滅」說 的哲學支柱，也為當時的宗法關係和儒家孝道提供了系統的理論說明，因而也成了最具中國 佛教特色的學說。

　　　　　The Hinayana Abhidharma became popular in china earlier than the Mahayana Prajna, and exerted more influence. It had the same opinion as the Taoist "Spirit-being" School in advocating the no-change of race and the no-change of people's nature. It is the philosophical pillar of Buddhist theory that "The form will decay but the spirit will never extinguish". It also provided a systematic and theoretical explanation on the then clanish rules and Confucianist filial piety. Therefore, it became the theory with the most Chinese Buddhist flavor.