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"Pattern" is a specialized term in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) used to describe a certain macroscopic systemic state of the human body. Macroscopic, as opposed to microscopic, focuses on the overall picture of the system, overlooking many minor details. For example, a person being in a good mood or a bad mood represents two macroscopic states of a person. Similarly, a day being sunny or rainy represents two macroscopic states of the weather system.

TCM primarily observes whether the yin-yang, five zang and six fu-organs of the human body are out of balance, and the treatment mainly addresses the imbalance of yin-yang, zang-fu organs. TCM uses a set of specialized terms to describe specific states of imbalance, and this term is "pattern". A specific pattern name represents a macroscopic state of imbalance in the human body. For example, if a patient has poor spleen and stomach function, its pattern name is called "spleen-stomach weakness" or "spleen qi deficiency". If the patient's overall "qi" is insufficient, that is, the function is low, its pattern is called "qi deficiency"; if the "blood" is insufficient, its pattern is called "blood deficiency".

"Pattern identification" is the process of identifying and determining which pattern the patient's current systemic state belongs to. This process of identification and judgment is carried out by the physician through various observation methods ─"Observation, Listening/Smelling, Inquiry, and Palpation"─ collecting various clues from the patient, conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine the patient's current pattern. For example, if a patient has a pale complexion, colorless lips and tongue, weak speech, and also mentions being prone to dizziness, with menstrual blood being light in color and not very red, and the pulse being thin and weak, the TCM physician will decisively determine that the patient has the pattern of "qi and blood deficiency".

First, analyze the crux of the system, then propose a treatment plan. Only with a pattern can we discuss how to treat, which is "treatment". Following the previous example, having determined that the patient has "qi and blood deficiency", the treatment principle naturally is to supplement what is lacking, that is, "tonifying qi and blood". TCM has accumulated a vast amount of formulas and medicines over the dynasties for treating various patterns. For example, for the insufficiency of qi and blood, the most commonly used are Eight Precious Ingredients Decoction or Ten Major Tonics Decoction, and the physician can choose the appropriate formula and medicine based on the patient's current condition.

In summary, TCM treats the entire pathological state of the human body as a macroscopic system, adjusts the pattern state, and turns the situation around, rather than just treating a single symptom. Often, after a patient complains of a certain symptom and undergoes TCM conditioning, the condition of the entire system improves, and other symptoms also improve. This is the difference between treating root (pattern) and treating manifestation(symptom), and also the difference between "pattern-based prescribing" and "symptom-based prescribing". The two are as different as heaven and earth, and cannot be mentioned in the same breath.