Academician WANG Qi: leveraging digitization to reshape TCM’s modern value

Professor WANG Qi (王琦), Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and National Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Master, recently published a pivotal article titled “From digits to digitization: the past, present, and future of traditional Chinese medicine” in Digital Chinese Medicine. Centered on Xiangshu (象数, phenotype-numerology) philosophy, the article systematically explores pathways for deep integration between TCM and digital technology, validating this approach through research breakthroughs by his team and peers.

The study reveals that TCM developed a unique cognitive model millennia ago, built on Xiang (象, observed phenotypes) as its foundation and Shu (数, numerological modeling) as its analytical framework. This early prototype of TCM theory—aligned with classical texts like Hetu Luoshu (《河图洛书》) and Yijing (《易经》)—manifested in practices such as correlating the Five Organs (五脏) with the Five Elements (五行), Four Seasons (四时), and Five Directions (五方), or mapping human Qi-blood rhythms via Ziwu Liuzhu (子午流注, midnight-midday ebb flow) theory. Yet, these insights long remained experiential, lacking modern data validation, and technological translation.

To bridge this gap, WANG’s team created a digital TCM constitution collection and analysis platform. Using self-developed devices to capture diagnostic data (tongue imaging, pulse patterns, respiratory waves) and incorporating globally recognized scales (sleep, anxiety, pain), they achieved quantifiable recording of symptoms and Zhenghou (证候, syndrome patterns). This significantly enhanced the objectivity and standardization of TCM diagnostics, laying groundwork for big-data development.

Building on this, the team constructed a “TCM Constitution Knowledge Graph”, linking TCM constitutions with modern diseases, genomics, and metabolic pathways. This computationalization of TCM knowledge not only deepens theoretical understanding but enables real-world applications. Their WeChat mini-program, “Digital TCM Practitioner” (数字中医人), auto-generates constitution reports and health recommendations based on user-submitted tongue/facial images and consultation data—empowering public self-health management.

Academician WANG emphasizes that TCM digitization must transcend superficiality and stay rooted in TCM’s theoretical logic. When deploying AI and big data, practitioners should “preserve the essence while innovating” (守正创新), avoiding oversimplification or misinterpretation. Future progress, he argues, hinges on continuous “data + clinical” iteration and mutual validation between technology and tradition.

Through rigorous research, WANG Qi demonstrates TCM’s unique advantages in digital transformation. This work charts a clear path for modernizing TCM and secures its evolving role in contemporary healthcare.