The foundation principles of Chinese medicine are not necessarily uniform, and are based on several schools of thought. Received TCM can be shown to be most influenced by Taoism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism.

    Since 1200 BC, Chinese academics of various schools have focused on the observable natural laws of the universe and their implications for the practical characterization of humanity's place in the universe. In the I Ching and other Chinese literary and philosophical classics, they have described some general principles and their applications to health and healing:

    There are observable principles of constant change by which the Universe is maintained. Humans are part of the universe and cannot be separated from the universal process of change.

    As a result of these apparently inescapable primordial principles, the Universe tends to eventually balance itself. Optimum health results from living harmoniously, allowing the spontaneous process of change to bring one closer to balance. If there is no change (stagnation), or too much change (catastrophism), balance is lost and illnesses can result.

    Everything is ultimately interconnected. Always use a holistic ("systemic" or "system-wide") approach when addressing imbalances.

    One modern interpretation of Traditional Chinese medicine's "macro" or holistic view of disease is that well-balanced human bodies can resist most everyday bacteria and viruses, which are ubiquitous and quickly changing. Infection, while having a proximal cause of a microorganism, would have an underlying cause of an imbalance of some kind. TCM would target the theorized imbalance, not the infectious organism.[citation needed] A TCM practitioner might give very different herbal prescriptions to patients affected by the same type of affliction, because the different symptoms reported by the patients would indicate a different type of imbalance. There is a popular saying in China: Chinese medicine treats humans while western medicine treats diseases.