In the early days of the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty, due to years of war, the country's politics and economy were completely in a dilemma. The primary task of the early Han Dynasty was to recuperate, so there was a regulation of "recuperation" for the situation of Huang Lao. The study of Huang Lao itself contains the legalist thought, which played an important role in the early Han Dynasty. However, when the national power is strong, more powerful ideological weapons are needed to strengthen ideological rule. In this way, Confucianism emerged from obscurity and stepped onto the historical and political stage. It is in this context that Dong Zhongshu was able to step onto the historical stage and become a famous ethical thinker, philosopher and master of Confucian classics in the Western Han Dynasty.

Dong Zhongshu studied very hard and focused since he was a child. Because I was so angry that I learned Confucian classics, I didn't even go to my own garden once in three years, which is called "I didn't peek into the garden for three years". It can be seen that Dong Zhongshu was attracted by the classics and was as stupid as a fool. Because he not only studied the Spring and Autumn Annals, but also profoundly grasped the essence of Confucianism, he was called "Confucius of the Han Dynasty" at that time.

Dong Zhongshu became a doctor in Chunqiu when he was Emperor Jing of Han Dynasty.