饮片最早见于宋朝，当时是指切制成片状的药材，现在泛指所有用于临床调配处方以及供中成药生产所使用的中药，包括切制后的饮片（片、段、丝、块），净制后的花，叶，种子，果实，和炮制后的炮制品。

Pieces first appeared in Song Dynasty, then refers to the cut into sheets of medicine, now refers to all Chinese medicine for clinical use of prescription dispensing and for the production of proprietary Chinese medicines, including cutting the pieces (sheet, section, wire, block), the net after the flowers, leaves, seeds, fruit, and gun made. Processed products.

科学规范地给“中药饮片”下个定义，中药饮片是指在中医药理论的指导下，根据辨证施治和调剂、制剂的需要，对“中药材”进行特殊加工炮制的制成品。中医临床用来治病的药物是中药饮片和中成药，而中成药的原料亦是中药饮片并非中药材。

Scientific and standardized to give a definition of "Chinese herbal medicine", Chinese herbal medicine is under the guidance of TCM theory, according to syndrome differentiation and dispensing, special processing of "herbal" manufactured goods. The traditional Chinese medicine used to treat diseases is Chinese crude medicine pieces and Chinese patent medicines, and the raw materials of Chinese patent medicines are Chinese herbal medicine pieces, not Chinese medicinal herbs.

有人把中药材和中药饮片混为一谈，在中药饮片和中药材中，确实有些品种区别不太大，或者说外观相同、相似，但实质上有着内在的本质的区别，这个区别就象熟鸡蛋和生鸡蛋一样，外观相似，本质不同。但也有个别完全一致的，如枸杞子饮片和中药材就不存在这样的差别，但绝大多数“中药饮片”都是炮制过的，有了质的区别。因此饮片不能叫做“中草药”，可是可以用“中草药”来解释什么是“中药饮片”。

Some of the Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese herbal medicine confused, in Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese herbal medicine, some varieties of difference is not too large, or the appearance of the same, similar, but in fact there are inherent differences in the nature of this difference, like boiled egg and egg, similar in appearance, essentially different. But there are individual consistent, such as wolfberry fruit pieces and Chinese herbal medicine does not exist such a difference, but the vast majority of "Chinese Herbal Pieces" are processed, there is a qualitative distinction. Therefore, the pieces can not be called "Chinese herbal medicine", but you can use "Chinese herbal medicine" to explain what is "Chinese herbal medicine pieces."".

无论过去和现代，“中药”中最传统的一种剂型就是“中药饮片”，术语叫“中药饮片”，俗称“汤药”、“大药”。更加形象一些描述就是通常所说的“老中医”或“中医”们开出的方子，照着方子到药房或药店抓来的一个个用纸包起来拿回家熬成汤药的原料药物，也有人称之为“中草药”。

Both past and present, "a traditional Chinese medicine" is the most traditional "Chinese herbal medicine", the term is "Chinese herbal medicine", commonly known as "medicine" and "medicine". Some more vivid description is commonly referred to as the "old Chinese" or "traditional Chinese medicine" prescription, according to the prescription to the pharmacy or pharmacy to catch a paper wrapped up take home boiled Raw Drug Decoction, also known as the "Chinese herbal medicine".