The treatment views on jaundice in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has changed,from ancient theory of “promoting diuresis for removing jaundice”to“cholagogue for removing jaundice”that combined with modern medical knowledge. Through the analysis on the mechanisms and relationship between them,the existing defects of TCM theory,the necessity for the innovation of TCM theory and the relationship between theoretical innovation and clinical practice are explained. It considers that the TCM theory can be developed through the summary of modern new clinical application of Chinese materia medica,which make the connection between the theory and clinical practice more perfect and further guide the clinical practice more effectively and help to understand and accept by the modern scientific system more easily.