ABSTRACT
Philosophically TCM originated from the ancient doctrines of primordial qi, yin-yang, and Five Elements. The doctrine of primordial qi, monism of the origin of the world, holds that everything in the world is made up of qi, whose constant movement and change cause the corresponding motion and change of the cosmos. The doctrine of yin-yang, dualism of the origin of the world, holds that everything in the world can be divided into the aspects of yin and yang that are opposite but interdependent; and the things’ nature can also be classified into yin and yang, and then named as yin or yang to show their dominance in the proportion. The dominance is changeable with the wane and wax between yin and yang, and can turn to the opposite in the yin-yang transformation. The doctrine of Five Elements, the pluralism of the origin of the world, maintains that the cosmos is composed of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water; they are interpromoting and interrestraining, making the universe
in a dynamic balance. These three philosophical doctrines not only deeply influence TCM but also become the leading philosophical methods in TCM, penetrating all the areas of TCM.
