Pointing to the view of TCM being the theoretic medicine,by connotation division of experience and theory,the discussion on TCM theoretic features as well,it puts forwards we can not generally call TCM as theoretic medicine,or western medicine(WM)as experience medicine.If you shall insist on above,TCM is only metaphysics theoretic medicine,i.e.the philosophical medicine in earthily speaking.

By analyzing the previous research achievements on the innovation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） theory， as well as the development patterns of scientific theory innovation in modern times， we reflect on the development of TCM theory and believe that the main reason for its stagnant development is the close intertwining of science with philosophy， and rationality with mysticism. Additionally， since the Western Renaissance， the rapid development of philosophy， natural sciences and western medicine has led to the slow or even halted development of Chinese traditional philosophy and related traditional natural scientific knowledge， which supports the academic deve-lopment of TCM. It is proposed that， in the context of modern scientific and technological advances， the innovation of TCM theory should follow the general law of scientific and technological development， with a spirit of questioning and critique. This approach should clarify the essential connotations of TCM theory， rebuild the theoretical system of TCM， engage in multidisciplinary research around scientific issues， and propose new concepts， reveal new laws， and create new theories based on new empirical facts.

By analysing the images， imageries， principles， manifestations and their thinking methods related to xiang thinking， it is pointed out that both xiang thinking and image thinking are thinking activities and methods using objects and imagery as thinking tools， and the two are often used indiscriminately， differing only in terms of the purpose and results of thinking. From the point of view of the tools of xiang thinking， it can be divided into two categories， namely， objects and imagery thinking， just like the natural and artificial models in scientific methodology. As the tools of imagery thinking are divided into conceptual imagery and symbolic imagery， so imagery thinking can be further divided into conceptual imagery thinking and symbolic imagery thinking. "Principles" is only a description of the relationship between yin and yang and the images of nature and the human body， and principles thinking can only be regarded as a part of the process of xiang thinking. Manifestations thinking in the general sense is equivalent to image thinking， and the manifestations thinking in Qigong research of Chinese medicine can also be regarded as a type of xiang thinking.

By combing and analysing the current status of studies on thinking methods of traditional Chinese medicine published in 2022 and 2023， it is pointed out that there are five aspects of problems in the current studies on thinking methods of traditional Chinese medicine， namely， the basic concept is unclear and the logic of exposition is confusing； the standard of conceptual division is different， and the logical level is unclear； excessive attention paid to wording and the explanations are far-fetched； there is insufficient evidence for argumentation， and there are mistakes in the deduction with arbitrariness； and the concepts of thinking are too generalized， and indiscriminately labelled. This shows that the existing knowledge structure of traditional Chinese medicine scholars， as well as the research attitude and methodology are obviously difficult to achieve the goal of studies on traditional Chinese medicine thinking methods， and there is an urgent need to improve and enhance them.

Based on the theory of toxin in The Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor （《黄帝内经》）， this paper explores the concept and connotation of toxin from several aspects， including medicinal toxicity， pathogenic toxicity， pathoge-nesis and treatment of toxin pathogen. It explores the mechanism and significance of using toxin substances in curing and inducing diseases， sorts out the etiological and pathological evolution of toxic pathogens， clarifies the derivation and differentiation process from external toxins to internal toxins， and elucidates the interactions between toxin and other pathogenic factors such as phlegm， stasis， dampness， and fire. It further distinguishes the logical hierarchy of toxin caused by metabolic disorders such as sugar， fat， and drowning， clarifies that the essence of the etiology of "hidden toxin"， and determines the corresponding treatment principles and methods for toxic pathogens. It establishes a theoretical framework of traditional Chinese medicine toxic pathogen theory， providing theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of many diseases.