Since 2014，disputes over the return of frozen embryos have gradually drawn attention from the judicial authorities and the public. Faced with this new type of case with legal loopholes，most courts supported the plaintiffs’claims but with different adjudication strategies. Currently，judicial countermeasures face judicial difficulties such as the inconsistency between the legal nature and ownership rights of frozen embryos，the lack of uniformity in applicable legal rules，and judicial reasoning that lacks of logic self -consistency. We suggest normative shaping of the disputes over the return of frozen embryos and unify the legal status of frozen embryos and the defining rules of ownership rights. Establishing the rule of“non - return as the principle，conditional return as an exception”，with qualified assisted reproductive institutions directly receiving the frozen embryos.