Type 2 diabetes is a health problem in the world.There is much limitation in the treatment of diabetes by Western medicine.It is known that traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has a long history of treating diabetes and its holistic view and syndrome differentiation and treatment are of great value in the treatment of diabetes,which is in accordance with systems biology knowledge of diabetes.Due to the limitation of cultural background,science and technology,the efficacy and mechanism of TCM for treating diabetes have not been widely recognized internationally.The etiology and pathogenesis system of TCM could be linked by the theory of modern biology and diabetes could be explained by the integration of Chinese and Western medicine.Modern biology was used to explain pathogenesis,principles,methods,formulas,and medicinals.Omics,mass spectrometry technology,gene sequencing technology are widely used to explain the questions of treating diabetes by TCM,demonstrating the essence of TCM and providing theoretical basis for the research on diabetes by TCM.