The Cultural Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on History of Learning the Liver When Comparing with Western Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is regarded as an esoteric and mystical entity, an entity of philosophy, or even an unscientific entity when compared with western medicine. Since TCM has a 5,000 plus year history and is coexisting with modern medicine in China, it is difficult to simply conclude what the cultural characteristics of TCM are. This work analyzed the histories of TCM and western medicine on learning the liver, then revealed the cultural characteristics and the possible development of TCM. The comparison of mythological origin, anatomic history, as well as the framework of medical theory suggest that TCM is far away from a clear-cut subject and awaits more exploration both in theory and in practice: It is a comprehensive system integrating knowledges from multiple fields from ancient China; it emphasizes theory development, with the terms and function of organ are far beyond the organ of itself; and, its basic theoretical framework evolved and has become sort of like universal rule that would not be subsequently falsified. According to the cultural characteristics of TCM, there are four possible future directions for the development of TCM and it will continue to coexist with modern medicine in China for another foreseeable long time.