中文摘要：

本文归纳了近年来有关结构方程模型在中医证候研究中的应用文献,评价了结构方程模型在中医证候学研究的优势和不足。结构方程模型把证候看成隐变量,从定量的角度建立模型,验证每一种病的证候是否存在以及证候与四诊信息间可能存在的因果关系,还可以分析证候间可能存在的内在结构关系,为中医学者探讨不同的四诊信息在相应证型的重要性,进行病证结合研究,验证各种学说、观点或模型的合理性提供了有效工具。尽管医师在诊断过程中,可能出现四诊信息不规范,医师辨证缺乏共识的情况,但结构方程模型可能是当前证候研究取得实质突破的有效方法之一,具有广阔的应用前景。

英文摘要：

The literatures in recent years were summarized on the structural equation model in the study of Traditional Chinese Medicine syndrome,simultaneously superiority and weakness of them was evaluated.The model was established,the syndrome of the disease being seen as implicit variable,using structural equation model from a quantitative point of view.It not only verified whether the existence of every kind of the syndrome of the disease and revealed the causal relationships between the four diagnostic information and the syndrome of the disease,it also could analyze the internal structure of the relationships between the syndromes.It provided an effective tool for Traditional Chinese Medicine scholars to explore the importance of different diagnostic information in the appropriate syndromes and to carry out the research of combination of the disease and the syndrome and to verify the various theories,views or reasonable model.Although Traditional Chinese Medicine physicians may appear the four diagnostic information being not standardized and lack of dialectical consensus in the diagnostic process,structural equation model is one of the effective methods to make real breakthrough in the syndrome research and has broad application prospect.