For nearly two thousand years, the Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Febrile Diseases Caused by Cold) has shaped the foundations of traditional Chinese medicine, influencing how practitioners understand symptoms, patterns, and treatment approaches.

On this online course from HKU SPACE, you’ll work through the principles of Six-Meridian Syndrome Differentiation, tracing how classical theories continue to inform diagnosis, analysis, and treatment decisions in contemporary Chinese medicine

Walk through the six meridians and their clinical patterns

Move through the six classical meridian systems — Taiyang, Yangming, Shaoyang, Taiyin, Shaoyin, and Jueyin — and become familiar with their defining symptom patterns and characteristics.

Along the way, you’ll recognise distinctions between deficiency, excess, interior, and exterior conditions and see how these frameworks shape clinical interpretation.

Read symptoms through the lens of classical diagnosis

Shift attention toward pattern recognition and clinical reasoning.

You’ll work through syndrome differentiation, transmuted patterns, and the diagnostic thinking that supports treatment choices within traditional Chinese medicine.

Rather than memorising symptoms, you’ll begin to recognise how relationships between signs and patterns influence practice.

Bring theory into herbs, acupuncture, and treatment practice

You’ll connect classical principles with Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and treatment techniques, considering how ancient frameworks continue to guide clinical decision-making today.

By the end of the course, you’ll have strengthened your understanding of Shang Han Lun and developed greater confidence applying foundational Chinese medicine theory within practice.