TCM Glossary: Key Terms in Plain Language

How to use this glossary

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has its own vocabulary, much of it written in pinyin, the standard way of spelling Chinese words with Roman letters. These terms describe a traditional way of understanding the body. They are not laboratory measurements, and a word such as "dampness" or "kidney yang" does not mean the same thing as the matching word in a medical textbook. Where research has tested a practice, the full guides say what was measured and how strong the evidence is. This page only explains the words. It is information, not medical advice.

Foundations

• TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). An umbrella name for Chinese herbal products, acupuncture, tai chi and related approaches, which has developed over a very long time. [1] See What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?.
• Qi. In Chinese medicine, ancient physicians proposed that everything is made of one underlying "substance" called qi. [2] It is a traditional concept, not something a test can measure. See What Is Qi?.
• Yin and yang. A pair of terms used to describe functional relationships in Chinese culture and language. [2] See Yin and Yang in Chinese Medicine.
• Wu xing (Five Phases, often called Five Elements). Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, used as interacting categories. [2] See The Five Phases.
• Jing, qi and shen. Often called the "three treasures." See Jing and the Three Treasures.
• Xue and jin ye. Blood and body fluids as the tradition describes them. See Qi, Blood and Body Fluids.
• Wei qi. "Defensive qi." It does not simply mean the immune system. See Wei Qi.

The body in TCM terms

• Jing luo (meridians and collaterals). Conduits believed to serve as channels for the flow of qi and blood. [2] See Meridians and Collaterals.
• Zang-fu. "Zang" are the solid organs, considered yin; the "fu" are the hollow organs. [2] A TCM "Liver" or "Spleen" is a functional grouping, not simply the organ of the same name. See Zang-Fu.
• Five viscera and six bowels. The traditional list of organ systems that illness is said to disturb. [3]

Causes of illness in TCM terms

• Six pernicious influences (liu yin). Excessive wind, cold, heat, damp, dryness and fire, described as outside causes of illness. [3] See The Six Pernicious Influences.
• Seven emotions (qi qing). Joy, anger, anxiety, thought, grief, fear and fright, described as inner causes when disturbed. [3] See The Seven Emotions.
• Cold, heat, dampness, phlegm. Descriptive terms used for patterns, not diagnoses in the biomedical sense. See Cold, Heat, Dampness, Phlegm.

Diagnosis and patterns

• Zheng (pattern or syndrome). A pattern of disturbed function that guides which treatment a practitioner chooses, rather than a disease name. [2] See Traditional Pattern Differentiation.
• Bian zheng. Pattern differentiation: the process of working out the pattern.
• Si zhen (four examinations). Looking, listening, questioning and palpating, including the pulse. [2] See The Four Examinations.
• Ba gang (eight principles). Yin and yang, interior and exterior, cold and hot, deficiency and excess. See Eight Principles.
• Tongue and pulse diagnosis. Practitioner methods; there are no safe do-it-yourself versions. See Tongue Diagnosis and Pulse Diagnosis.
• Constitution types. See TCM Constitution Types.

Herbs, formulas and foods

• Cao yao / zhong yao. Terms for herbal medicines used in Chinese medicine. See Chinese Herbal Medicine.
• Four natures and five flavors. Herbs and foods are classed by thermal nature (cooling or warming), flavor, the organ network they are linked to and the direction of their effect. [2] See The Four Natures and Five Flavors.
• Jun, chen, zuo, shi. Chief, deputy, assistant and envoy roles in a formula. See How a Formula Is Built.
• Tang, wan, san. Endings in formula names that, in the titles on this site, mean decoction, pill and powder. See Pinyin Guide.
• Patent medicine. A ready-made Chinese herbal product. Some have been found to contain undeclared drugs or metals. [1] See Reading a Patent Medicine Label.
• Shi liao. Dietary therapy. See Chinese Dietary Therapy.

Hands-on practices

• Zhen jiu. Acupuncture and moxibustion; acupuncture means stimulating specific points, usually with thin needles inserted through the skin. [1] See What Is Acupuncture? and Moxibustion.
• Ba guan / cupping, gua sha, tui na. See Cupping, Gua Sha and Tui Na.
• Tai chi and qigong. Movement and breathing practices. See Tai Chi and Qigong.

Classification and records

• ICD-11 traditional medicine chapter. An optional supplementary chapter of the WHO disease classification, for dual coding. [4] It must be used together with a standard category. [4]