Abstract: It aims to fill the research gap in the Chinese hydrology disciplinary in modern and contemporary period by collecting materials from government archival documents, university-related introductions and teaching files, books, periodicals, and newspapers, and adopting methods such as comprehensive analysis and comparison. It traces the origin of Chinese hydrological disciplinary, revealing that it derives from the literal translation of the English term "Hydrology" and was later incorporated into hydrology courses offered by more than 30 universities. Hydrology, rooted in production practices, based on hydrological testing and hydrological calculation, and supported by scientific research, initially formed a relatively independent knowledge system, with several sub-disciplines emerging, and preliminarily achieved the goals of talent cultivation and social service. Although hydrology was not widely applied in practice nor formally established as a specialized program during the modern and contemporary period, it laid a solid foundation for the disciplinary construction and specialty development of modern and contemporary hydrology, terrestrial hydrology, and even hydrology and water resources.