Abstract: Pricking–cupping therapy is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) nursing technology that can adjust the viscera of the human body, make the meridians smooth, and Yin and Yang balanced mainly by means of relieving heat and detoxification, harmonizing Qi and blood, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, dredging meridians and activating collaterals, reducing swelling and pain, purging heat and calming shock, clearing heat, and opening orifices. Pricking–cupping therapy has a long history and wide application. After thousands of years of development, it has made great progress. They are widely used to treat lumbar disc herniation, herpes zoster, acute arthritis, migraine, and other diseases in China. Through the clinical practice and theoretical exploration of physicians of past dynasties, the therapeutic mechanism and application scope of pricking–cupping therapy have been greatly enriched. Modern TCM practitioners have conducted in-depth researches on the operation norms of the therapy on the basis of the ancients, hoping to grasp the essence of the disease more accurately and make the rational use of the operation technology of the therapy.

Key words: Bloodletting puncture, cupping, external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, operating procedures, pricking–cupping therapy, Traditional Chinese Medicine nursing technology