ABSTRACT
"Wu shan qi e"(five symptoms with good prognosis and seven with poor prognosis)is a theory used to determine the prognosis of external diseases in traditional Chinese medicine which have been mentioned in many ancient Chinese medicine books and have been valued by external doctors throughout history. However, it has been rarely discussed in modern literature. The theory were first seen in the Taiping Shenghui Fang, and the idea was originated from Ni Shun in Lingshu Yuban."Wu shan qi e"have evolved into many variants through the exertion of medical practitioners throughout history. By reviewing medical books of previous dynasties, it was found that there are two main versions: the Taiping Shenghui Fang version and its derivative versions, and the Waike Zhengzong version and its derivative versions.