CHAPTER 1

TCM TERM FORMATION AND TCM IN GENERAL

中医术语构成规律及中医总论

In this chapter you will learn:

  1. The rules of TCM term formation.
  2. The words that form the TCM terms in this chapter.
  3. The concept of TCM.
  4. The unique features of TCM.
  5. The main branches of TCM.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been practiced for thousands of years. It was the only method of health care in this part of the world before modern Western medicine was introduced into China. Although modern medicine has gained popularity in China, traditional medicine* still plays an important role in the country. Furthermore, knowledge of TCM is spreading rapidly to different parts of the world.

As English is the most important language in the world of science, every TCM practitioner* not only needs to master the medical science of TCM, but also master the medical English of TCM.

However, due to the limited space in this chapter, we are only going to make a brief introduction of TCM for the purpose of medical English study. For more information, you can search the internet for "Traditional Chinese Medicine" in English. There are many websites available for you to practice your medical English of TCM. The following are some examples: