中古時期《漢書》學的發展，離不開十六國北朝時期北方地區的人們對《漢書》的闡釋、研究和利用。廣爲流行的《漢書》故事，重新構建了新時代所需要的漢代歷史，從而爲北朝《漢書》學奠定了社會基礎。在這個多民族融合的南北分裂時期，正統與華夷等觀念被不斷申明、強調，北方地區的政權紛紛向《漢書》尋求政治借鑒，《漢書》被作爲典章參考，進入實際的政治生活。北朝後期，北齊南來士人顔之推爲代表的《漢書》學研究，融合南北學術之長，是北朝《漢書》研究獲得新的學術成就。受時代影響，北朝《漢書》學對文學發展的影響同樣深遠，一方面，《漢書》學影響了北朝史傳文學的發展，崔鴻、魏收等史家皆以《漢書》爲標杆來撰史；另一方面，《漢書》學也引導了人們對漢代文學有所推崇和繼承。
The development of Han shu 漢書 (Book of the Former Han) study in medieval China cannot be separated from the interpretations, research, and appropriations of Book of the Former Han in the northern areas of the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern Dynasties. The popular stories from Book of the Former Han reconstructed the history of the Han dynasty needed in the new era then, thus laying a social foundation for the study of Book of the Former Han in the Northern Dynasties. In this period of multi-ethnic integration, the concepts of orthodoxy and Han-Yi ( non-Han people, “barbaric”) distinction were constantly affirmed and emphasized. The regimes in the north referred to Book of the Former Han as an example of law, which allowed Book of Former Han to enter political life. In late Northern Dynasties, Book of the Former Han study, with southern scholar Yan Zhitui 顔之推 as a chief example, combined academic advancement of both north and south, demonstrating a new scholarly achievement of Book of the Former Han study in the Northern Dynasties. Under the influence of the time, Book of the Former Han study in the Northern Dynasties had a lasting impact on the literary development of the era. On the one hand, Book of the Former Han study influenced the development of historical literature of Northern Dynasties. Historians such as Cui Hong 崔鴻 and Wei Shou 魏收 compiled historiographies according to Book of the Former Han as a standard reference. On the other hand, Book of the Former Han study has also led to the praises and carrying-on of Han dynasty literature
