With a history of 2000 to 3000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has formed a unique system to diagnose and cure illness. The TCM approach is fundamentally different from that of Western medicine. In TCM, the understanding of the human body is based on the holistic understanding of the universe as described in Daoism, and the treatment of illness is based primarily on the diagnosis and differentiation of syndromes.
在二三千年的历史长河中，中医形成 了自己独特的诊治体系。中医的诊治从根本上有别于西医学。中医对人体的理解，建立在道家的整体观念、天人合一的基础上，治病原则主要基于辨证论治基础上。
The TCM approach treats zang--fu organs as the core of the human body. Tissue and organs are connected through a network of channels and blood vessels inside human body. Qi (or Chi) acts as some kind of carrier of information that is expressed externally through jingluo system. Pathologically, a dysfunction of the zang-fu organs may be reflected on the body surface through the network, and meanwhile, diseases of body surface tissues may also affect their related zang or fu organs. Affected zang or fu organs may also influence each other through internal connections. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment starts with the analysis of the entire system, then focuses on the correction of pathological changes through readjusting the functions of the zang-fu organs.
中医把脏腑观念视为人体的核心。组织和器官通过经络和血管联结在一块。气是信息的携带者，通过经络传道于外。病理上，脏腑功能不良通过人体的网络折射于外，同样地，机体表面的病变也会影响到脏腑。病变的器官也会通过内在联系相互影响。中医的治疗，始于整体观念，然后通过调节脏腑功能来集中纠正病理变化。
Evaluation of a syndrome not only includes the cause, mechanism, location, and nature of the disease, but also the confrontation between the pathogenic factor and body resistance. Treatment is not based only on the symptoms, but differentiation of syndromes. Therefore, those with an identical disease may be treated in different ways, and on the other hand, different diseases may result in the same syndrome and are treated in similar ways.
症候不仅包括病因、病理、病位、以及疾病的本质，而且包含了致病因子与身体免疫间的对抗。治疗不仅基于症状上，也基于辩证上。因此，那些完全相同的疾病可以用不同的方法治（同病异治），反过来，不同的疾病，如有相同的症候，也可以用同样的方法治疗（异病同治）。
The clinical diagnosis and treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine are mainly based on the yin-yang and five elements theories. These theories apply the phenomena and laws of nature to the study of the physiological activities and pathological changes of the human body and its inter relationships. The typical TCM therapies include acupuncture, herbal medicine, and qigong exercises.
中医的诊治主要基于阴阳五行学说。这种理论把自然现象和法则用于对人体生理病理变化、内在关系的研究中。代表性的中医治疗方法包括针灸、中药，气功。
With acupuncture, treatment is accomplished by stimulating certain areas of the external body. Herbal medicine acts on zang-fu organs internally, while qigong tries to restore the orderly information flow inside the network through the regulation of Qi. These therapies appear very different in approach yet they all share the same underlying sets of assumptions and insights in the nature of the human body and its place in the universe. Some scientists describe the treatment of diseases through herbal medication,acupuncture, and qigong as an "information therapy".
针灸治疗是用针刺人体体表的某些 特定的部位来完成 的。中药对脏腑内部进行调治。气功治疗是通过调节气的运行来恢复经络气息的正常流动。这些治疗途径表面上都非常不同，但是它们对人体的本质及在宇宙中的位置理解，都有着共同的、隐性的理念和学说。有些科学家把针灸、中药、气功等治疗形容为信息治疗。
翻译：悬壶医心
文章来源：www.tcmpage.com