To describe the status of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) translation studies on a comparative basis and to identify the problems and the prospect of TCM translation study. Methods:A total of 222 journal articles about comparative studies on TCM translation between 2008 and 2017 were collected and analyzed by means of bibliometrics and content analysis with the help of CiteSpace, a software for visualizing trends in scientific literature. Results:A generally rising trend of comparative studies on TCM was observed. Comparative studies on TCM term translation received continuous attention, accounting for more than 2/3 of all types of TCM translation comparative studies; however, less attention was paid to the comparative study of translators and their thoughts. Though research methods presented an increasing diversity, they are still dominated by qualitative analysis. About 1/5 of the literature analyzed and discussed the translated text in the light of translation theories or translation principles. Conclusion:This paper proposes that perspectives and scopes of TCM comparative studies be expanded, contents be balanced, methods be improved and theoretical construction of TCM translation be strengthened so as to pave the way for improving TCM translation practice and TCM standardization.