Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a well-established medical system with a long history. However, the overall concept and systematic thinking in TCM are not comprehensively understood and applied in its inheritance and development.

This study aims to provide a basic theory for TCM diagnosis using systematics as the guiding principle. Using modern scientific and technological achievements, we aim to explore a new TCM diagnosis method.

We analyzed previous studies on TCM diagnosis and treatment, and reviewed clinical research on TCM diagnosis and treatment from the viewpoint of systematics. We propose a new process model based on systematics for TCM diagnosis and treatment. This is a generalized model that summarizes the process of “establishing an image to express meaning”.

The proposed model was implemented in the clinical practice of TCM. We monitored the detailed treatment process of patients in the Department of Liver Diseases at Beijing Hospital. One patient underwent a treatment program that lasted 1 year and 45 days, consisting of 12 iterative cycles, each guided by the proposed diagnostic model and tailored to the patient's evolving condition. This case study validates the effectiveness of the proposed model in the diagnosis and treatment of liver disease in TCM. The therapeutic efficacy has been validated through the examination of both TCM indicators and Western medical auxiliary parameters. Among these, the TCM indicators consist of 2 components: tongue diagnosis and pulse diagnosis. Meanwhile, the Western medical auxiliary indicators encompass a range of assessments, including whole blood cell analysis, professional liver function examination, a series of liver function assessments, a high-sensitivity hepatitis B pentathlete test, as well as color Doppler ultrasound evaluations of the liver, bile duct, pancreas, spleen, and assessments of liver elasticity, among other related examination parameters. In conclusion, it is evident that the syndrome of liver depression and spleen deficiency has significantly diminished, and the viral load has decreased to levels below the detectable threshold, thereby confirming the restoration of normal liver function. These findings indicate that the disease is now under control.

In this study, we applied the guiding principle of systematics to the study of TCM diagnosis and treatment, and combined it with modern medical technology. We proposed a TCM diagnosis and treatment process model, and a TCM model to establish an image, which can effectively support the diagnosis and treatment of TCM diseases. We illustrated the effectiveness of these models by applying them to TCM liver disease.