About ChiMedBase

关于 ChiMedBase 数据库〔關於 ChiMedBase 數據庫〕guān yú ChiMedBase shù jù kù

ChiMedBase, created in 2025, provides comprehensive information about Chinese medicine.

With the goal of making this database free of charge for users, we accept sponsorships and donations.

Features of ChiMedBase

This is the largest English-language database of Chinese medicine, the data provided filling several thousand pages of printed text.
It serves as a reference tool for all aspects of Chinese medicine, including terms, acupoints, medicinals, and formulas.
It serves as an all-in-one set of textbooks allowing systematic study of basic theories, acupuncture, and medicinal therapy.
It is compiled entirely from primary Chinese-language sources.
Entry terms are given in Chinese simplified and tradition, with accented Pīnyīn for the benefit of translators and bilingual students.

Structure of ChiMedBase

This database is divided into 5 sections:

Terms: 30,000 plus Chinese terms with Pīnyīn transcription and English translation.
Dictionary: 6,000 plus Chinese terms with Pīnyīn transcription, English translation, definition and other information.
Acupoints: 400 or so channel and nonchannel points with location, classical location, local anatomy, indications, traditional indications, needling depth, stimulus, and point groups they belong to.
Medicinals: 6,000 medicinals and folk medicines with Chinese, English, and Latin pharmacognostic names, their properties (nature, flavor, channel entry), actions, indications, and more.
Formulas: 2,000 formulas, with sources, actions, indications, warnings, rationale, and variations./li>

Contributors

The main author and chief editor of this database is Nigel Wiseman. Substantial contributions to parts of the text were made by Paul Zmiewski, Andrew Ellis, Elke Johnson, Ken Boss, James Féng Yè (馮曄), Sabine Wilms, Eric Brand, Nicolas Berger (see Sources below).

Thanks go to Jimmy Roy for the development of the website.

Sources

CMB includes text extracted and revised from:

Fundamentals of Chinese Medicine, Wiseman N., Ellis A., & Zmiewski P., Paradigm Publications, 1985.
Fundamentals of Chinese Acupuncture, Ellis A., Wiseman N., & Boss K., Paradigm Publications, 1988.
Grasping the Wind: An Exploration into the Meaning of Chinese Acupuncture Point Names, Ellis A., Wiseman N., Boss K., Paradigm Publications, 1989.
English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary of Chinese Medicine, Wiseman N. (魏迺杰), Hunan Science and Technology Press, 1995.
Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine, Wiseman N., Féng Yè (馮曄), Paradigm Publications, 1998.
Concise Chinese Materia Medica, Brand E., Wiseman N., Paradigm Publications, 2008.
Chinese Medical Characters, Volumes 1-5, Zhāng Y., Wiseman N., Paradigm Publications, 2003-2015
Chinese Medicine: Theories of Modern Practice, Wiseman N., Wilms S., Paradigm Publications, 2021.
A Chinese Medical Reference, (e-book), Wiseman N., Brand E., Paradigm Publications, 2022.
Chinese Medicine: The Ideas That Shaped It, Wiseman N., Wilms S., Paradigm Publications, 2024.

How to perform searches

Choose which section of the database you wish to use, i.e., Dictionary, Terms, Acupoints, Medicinals, or Formulas, from the menu bar the top of the page.
Select the language you wish to search on, i.e., English or Chinese (Pīnyīn, simplified Chinese, or traditional Chinese) below the search box.
Key in your search word in the search box and press enter. Write Pīnyīn without accents and spaces.
Search results appear in two sections: terms containing the search string (click on to see results) and terms starting with the search string (where results already appear). Click on the item you want to see.
The back button on the top bar of the browser allows you to navigate to the previous page you were viewing.
Items appearing in the brightest color are links to other parts of the database.
Cntrl+F accesses a search box to find things within one entry (web page).

Pick a study topic

This database contains copious reading material to help with your Chinese medical subjects. Beginners can select the following topics to understand the basic theories of Chinese medicine. Select the Dictionary from the menu bar at the top of the page. Topics appear below the search box.