中医是中国辉煌的传统文化之一，它是一门涉及人体生理、病理、诊断、治疗和疾病预防的科学。它是在古代朴素的唯物主义和辨证法的影响下对中国人民长期与疾病斗争经验的总结， 并在长期的临床实践中演化成了一套独特完整的医学理论。在过去的几千年里，中医为中华人民健康水平的提高、民族的繁荣昌盛及世界医学的丰富及发展做出了巨大的贡献。中医理论系统的形成受到古代中国的唯物主义和辩证法的极大影响。这套理论系统以脏腑经络的生理病理为基础，以辨证论治为其诊断特色。

TCM has its own specific understanding both in the physiological functions and pathological changes of the human body and in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. TCM regards the human body itself as an organic whole interconnected by zang-fu organs, meridians and collaterals.And TCM also holds that the human body is closely related to the outside world. In regard to the onset and development of a disease, TCM attaches great importance to the endogenous pathogenic factors, namely the seven emotion, but it by no means excludes the exogenous pathogenic factors, namely the six pathogens. In diagnosis, TCM takes the four diagnostic methods ( inspection, auscultation ant olfaction,inquiry, pulse-taking and palpation as its principal tcchniques, eight principal syndromes as its general guideline, and differentiation of syndrome according to the zang-fu theory, differentiation of syndromes according to the six-meridian theory, and differentiation of syndromes according to the theory of wei, qi, ying and xue as its basic theories of the differentiation of syndromes. It also stresses the prevention and preventive treatment of disease, and puts forward such therapeutic principles as "treatment aiding at the root cause of disease". "strengthening vital qi and dispelling pathogens, regulating yin and yang and treating diseases in accordance with three conditions" (i. e. the climatic and seasonal conditiont, geographic localities and the patient's constitution).    

中医在对人体的生理功能、病理改变和诊治疾病方面有其独特的见解。它把人体看作一个以脏腑和经络相互联系的有机整体并认为人体与其外界环境也是息息相关的。中医高度重视内因即所谓的“七情”在疾病的发生和发展过程中所起的作用，但也决不排除外因的作用即所谓的“六淫”。在诊断方面，中医以四诊（望、闻、问、切）为技术原则、八纲辨证为指导总纲并把脏腑辨证、六经辨证、卫气营血辨证作为其辨证论治的基础。它强调“未病先防”、“治病求本”、“扶正祛邪”、“调整阴阳”和“三因制宜”（因时、因地、因人制宜）的重要性。

 These characteristicts, however, can be generalized as the holistic concept and treatment by differentiation of syndromes (TDS) 

然而，对以上的中医特点可以用“整体观念”和“辨证论治”加以概括。

整体观念的总思想是一方面认为人体是一个统一的整体，另一方面认为人体与其外界环境密切相关。人体由不同的脏腑组织组成，每个脏腑组织都有其独特的功能并都是整个人体进行生命活动的组成部分。中医把人体看作一个有机人体认为人体的各部分在生理上相互联系和相互独立，在病理上相互影响。同时，因为人类生活在自然中，自然提供给人类赖以生存的环境，所以人体就会直接或间接的受到自然环境变化的影响并产生相应的反应。中医认为医生在诊治疾病时应该熟悉自然规律和地理环境。这便是中医为何在诊治疾病时既强调人体为一整体也重视人体与自然环境相互作用的关系。