In this paper, we propose a novel automatic object extraction algorithm, named the Template Guided Live Wire, based on the popularly used livewire techniques. We discuss in details the novel methods applications on tongue extraction in digital images. With the guides of a given template curve which approximates the tongues shape, our method can finish the extraction of tongue without any human intervention. In the paper, we also discussed in details how the template guides the live wire, and why our method functions more effectively than other boundary based segmentation methods especially the snake algorithm. Experimental results on some tongue images areas well provided to show our methods better accuracy and robustness than the snake algorithm.