[The origin and development of 'Qu Qiao'].

The term 'Qu Qiao' originally came from Taoism (Dao Jiao) and referred to the human body which was opposite to the spirit (Shen). After being brought into traditional Chinese medicine, its connotation was widely extended and enriched. This paper examined the process through which 'Qu Qiao' came into Chinese medicine and the connotation and extension in this process. It was found that this term was developed at levels and structure as a demonstration of the cognition of ancient physicians on physiology and pathology in terms of parts of the human body and their relationship. The study of this term is valuable to enrich the acupuncture theories and helpful to promote pertinence in terms of clinical discrimination and treatment.