Through combing and analysing the relevant records of Chongmai in

The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor

（《黄帝内经》）， the ba

sis for the formation of the concept of Chongmai， its development， and the connotation of its name and reality are examined. It is believed that the concept of Chongmai is based on the observation of arterial pulsation by ancient people， and the practice of pulse diagnosis and blood letting by healing stone， to reflect the importance placed on the entity of the blood vessels， the concept of

qi

and blood in clinical practice. The name， route and function of Chongmai all reflect the above characteristics. With the development of medical theory and the standardization of the distribution and route of meridians by the three-

Yin

and three-

Yang

model thinking， the theory of the twelve meridians has taken a dominant position， and the arterial sites belonging to Chongmai are divided by the twelve meridians， resulting in the intersection and confusion between the positioning of the Chongmai and the twelve meridians in later generations. The independent function and disease characteristics of the Chongmai are becoming increasingly blurred， ultimately leading to a disconnection between the clinical application and theoretical positioning of Chongmai. Based on the high degree of belonging of the human arterial system to Chongmai， and based on the exuberance-decline and excess-deficiency， free and stasis of

qi

and blood， this article concluded that the connotation of Chongmai as the sea of blood， governs reproduction and menstruation， dominates disease of gynaecology， cold pathogen intruding the body， and mental disease， and formulates corresponding treatment methods， which has a unique value and significance in clinic.