Recent Advances in ZHENG Differentiation Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine

ZHENG, also known as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome or TCM pattern, is an integral and essential part of TCM theory. A TCM ZHENG, in essence, is a characteristic profile of all clinical manifestations that can be identified by a TCM practitioner. Clinical treatments of a patient rely on the successful differentiation of a specific ZHENG. Recently, some new technologies and methods such as the System‐ Omics approach were introduced in ZHENG research, which significantly facilitate the development of ZHENG theory. This review focuses on a brief introduction of these new technologies and methods and their application in TCM ZHENG differentiation research. Also, some of the latest progress and applications in this area, such as ZHENG measurement, information collection, data analysis and mining, ZHENG differentiation based TCM treatment, and mechanisms of ZHENG differentiation based on biological networks