Abstract: The traditional terminology theory was established by Eugen Wüster in late 1970s and has not been questioned seriously during the following 30 years. However, the debate around the traditional terminology theories became heated since the 21th century. The author tries to analyze related issues such as how the traditional terminology scholars reacted to this debate, what sort of positive contributions made by the modern terminological innovators, what a kind of trend and perspective the modern terminology theories are facing.

Key words: theory, practical guide, terminological units, polyhedron, theory models, new paradigm