In view of the rich experiences and new advances in TCM treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, it is very promising to find a further breakthough in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Treating the disease by means of differentiation of symptoms and signs is a distinctive feature of TCM, however the difficult and also the major point would be the research of mechanism of its symptomatology. The following is a summary of the advances in the study of symptomatology, especially its epidemiology, the role of immune system and blood rheology made since 1987 when the ARA criteria1 was published.