ABSTRACT
Using constructivism theory， this study explored the relationship between the "origin" and "flow" of academic schools in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， clarified the developmental patterns of schools， and provided insights for the modernization， inheritance， and innovation of current schools. Academic schools originate from different cultural sources， and their differentiation and development are similar to the replication， spread and variation of biological "genes". The theoretical characteristics of constructivism align well with the principles of formation and differentiation of academic schools. The construction of academic thoughts and core diagnostic and therapeutic concepts within each school can be seen as a multilevel unity of self-construction， mutual construction among individuals， and social construction. Firstly， individual medical practitioners choose and inherit from the origins of TCM， integrating personalized understanding， which then differentiates into various schools in the history of academia. Secondly， during the process of cultural inheritance， medical practitioners from different times and regions gradually form academic schools and local medical schools through the method of "tailoring strategies to three categories of etiological factors" and mutual construction among individuals. Finally， in the context of the scientific， standardized， and intelligent development of modern medicine， the further evolution of academic schools needs to follow the evolutionary laws of traditional medicine， combine with the health needs of the new era， adopt a social construction approach， facilitate multi-party participation in the inheritance and innovation of academic thoughts and clinical experiences， and utilize the internet and intelligent technology means to empower modern development.