Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） aromatherapy regulates the internal

qi

of the human body through the selection of specific aromatic medicinals， promoting the normal transportation and circulation of

qi

and blood and the coordination of

zang

-

fu

organs， and at the same time focusing on spiritual harmonization and nourishment， to achieve the therapeutic goal of nourishing both body and spirit. Its theoretical characteristics include the holism view of the unity of human beings and nature， the dynamic view of the balance of

yin

and

yang

， the pattern differentiation view of the three categories of disease cause， the preventive view of treating disease before it arises， and the regulation-care view of treating both body and spirit. From the perspective of

qi

theory， the theoretical connotation of TCM aromatherapy was analysed in depth， including the concept of life and disease， the concept of

qi

and blood， the theory of

qi

movement， and stressed the embodiment of the trinity view of body-

qi

-spirit in TCM aromatherapy， and the significant guidance of the principle of seeking the similar

qi

in TCM aromatherapy practice. This paper syste

matically summarized the theoretical characteristics and connotations of TCM aromatherapy， which could provide guidance for the practice of TCM aromatherapy.