With the evolving understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease （CAD）， current syndrome differentiation systems in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） are increasingly insufficient in capturing the dynamic progression of the disease and often overlook clinical prognosis. This paper proposes the establishment of a TCM syndrome element differentiation system for CAD based on disease progression. Syndrome elements are categorized into core elements， fundamental elements， and evolutionary elements. The core element is blood stasis， which is regarded as the primary pathogenic factor in the onset of CAD. The fundamental elements， qi stagnation， cold congealment， phlegm turbidity， qi deficiency， yin deficiency， and yang deficiency， are commonly coexisting factors throughout the course of CAD. The evolutionary elements， collateral wind and latent toxin， are key pathogenic factors driving the transformation from chronic to acute stages of the disease. This new system aims to emphasize the evolution of disease over time， with a focus on improving long-term clinical outcomes.