New Chinese Medicine Constitution Standard Released: 9 Body Types Defined for Health Assessment

The State Administration for Market Regulation (Standardization Administration) recently approved and released the recommended national standard "Classification and Determination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution" (GB/T 46939-2025). Organized and drafted by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, this standard will be officially implemented starting April 1, 2025.

"Classification and Determination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution" specifies the characteristics of the nine basic TCM constitution types and the methods for their classification and determination. The standard primarily features three characteristics:

First, it provides comprehensive application coverage. The standard applies to the entire spectrum of medical care, public health, scientific research, education, and the health industry, offering assessment criteria for preventive care centers, health examination institutions, and primary healthcare facilities.

Second, it incorporates evidence-based updates to constitution characteristics. Based on the latest TCM constitution research findings from 2009–2024, the standard updates the descriptions of TCM constitutions—including balanced (平和质), qi-deficient (气虚质), yang-deficient (阳虚质), yin-deficient (阴虚质), phlegm-damp (痰湿质), damp-heat (湿热质), blood-stasis (血瘀质), qi-depressed (气郁质), and special constitutions (特禀质)—using the latest results with strong evidence-based support, reflecting the most recent advancements in TCM constitution theory.

Third, it establishes a method for constitution identification. The standard simplifies the complex and professional process of determining constitution categories by selecting typical physical sensation questions that represent different constitutions and matching them with a corresponding graded scoring algorithm, forming a standardized assessment method that promotes the implementation and popularization of constitution identification.

The release and implementation of this standard marks a new stage of more standardized and regulated development for TCM constitution theory. It will provide robust support for enhancing public health literacy and optimizing health service models.

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