Traditional Chinese Medicine,1. Philosophical background: principleshuman body is a self-regulating universe with a set of sophisticated closely-related subsystems. Philosophically, human body is operated on the movement of yin and yang (阴阳) and five elements (五行). Subsystems include qi (气) xu (血) body fluid (津液) zng-f(脏腑 body organs) meridians (经络 circulation channels) etc. Health is perceived as harmonious interaction of entities of these subsystems and the outside world; disease is interpreted as a disharmony or imbalance in interaction between the human body and the environment (outside world).,Hypothesis on TCM,2. Philosophical perceptions 1）yin and yang (as in Taoism) represent two abstract and complementary aspects that every phenomenon in the universe can be divided into. The concept of yin and yang is also applicable to the human body; for example, the upper part of the body and the back are assigned to yang, while the lower part of the body are believed to have the yin character.,2）Five Elements (五行)Five element theory presumes that all phenomena of the universe and nature can be broken down into five elemental qualities represented by wood (木, m), fire (火,hu), earth (土, t), metal (金, jn), and water (水, shu), which are inter-generative and inter-contractive.,3. Subsystems of the body 1) Qi (气) Qi is a medium flowing inside the blood vessels and is distributed in the skin, muscles, and tissues transporting and circulating balanced yin and yang in the meridians(经络). Just as the Qi held by each of the zang-fu organs(脏腑器官), it is also considered to be part of the principal or essential qi (元气 、真气) of the body . Considerable part of Qi is inherited from the parents and will be consumed in the course of life; other part is believed to be partially generated from food and drink, and partially from air (by breathing). Qi inherited from parents stored in the 丹田 (about 3寸 under the navel) is used to nourish the mind (brain).,Generally, Qi is said to have five cardinal functions, which are:Actuation (推动) of all physical processes in the body, especially the circulation of all body fluids such as blood in their vessels. This includes actuation of the functions of the zang-fu organs and meridians (pathways of Qi). Warming (温煦) the body, especially the limbs. Defense (防御) against Exogenous Pathogenic Factors(外源病因) Containment (固摄) of body fluids, i.e. keeping blood, sweat, urine, semen etc. from leakage or excessive emission.Transformation (汽化) of food, drink, and breath into qi, xue ( blood 血), and jinye (“ body fluids”津液), and/or transformation of all of the latter into each other.,2) Xue (blood 血) In contrast to the majority of other functional entities, xu (血, “blood“) is correlated with a physical form the red liquid running in the blood vessels. Its concept is, nevertheless, defined by its functions: nourishing all parts and tissues of the body, safeguarding an adequate degree of moisture, and sustaining and soothing both consciousness and sleep. Typical symptoms of a lack of xu (usually termed “blood vacuity” 血虚, xu x) are described as: pale-white or withered-yellow complexion, dizziness, flowery vision, palpitations (心悸), insomnia, numbness of the extremities; pale tongue; “fine“ pulse.,3） jn y 津液 body fluid Closely related to blood are the jn y (津液, usually translated as “body fluids“), and just like blood, they are considered to be yin in nature, and defined first and foremost by the functions of nurturing and moisturizing the different structures of the body. Their other functions are to harmonize yin and yang, and to help with the secretion of waste products. 津液are ultimately extracted from food and drink, and constitute the raw material for the production of blood; conversely, blood can also be transformed into津液. Their palpable(易觉察的) manifestations are all bodily fluids: tears (泪), sputum (痰), saliva (唾液), gastric juice (胃液), joint fluid, sweat, urine, etc.,4) Zang-fu ( 脏腑 body organs ) Zang-fu constitute the centre piece of TCMs systematization of bodily functions. Bearing the names of organs, they are, however, only secondarily tied to (rudimentary) anatomical assumptions (the 腑 a little more, the 脏 much less). As they are primarily defined by their functions, they are not equivalent to the anatomical organs to highlight this fact, their names are usually capitalized. The term zng (脏) refers to the five entities considered to be yin in nature Heart (心,) Liver (肝), Spleen (脾), Lung (肺), Kidney (肾) , while f (腑) refers to the six yang organs Small Intestine (小肠), Large Intestine (大肠), Gallbladder (胆), Urinary Bladder (膀胱), Stomach (胃) and 三焦 (Snjia).,The 脏zngs essential functions consist in production and storage of (气) q and blood (血); in a wider sense they are stipulated to regulate digestion, breathing, water metabolism, the musculoskeletal system, the skin, the sense organs, aging, emotional processes, mental activity etc. The f organs main purpose is merely to transmit and digest (传化, chun-hu) substances like waste, food, etc. Since their concept was developed on the basis of five element philosophy, each zng is paired with a f, and each zng-f pair is assigned to one of five elemental qualities (i.e., the Five Elements or Five Phases).,