Objective To study Professor Yao Naili‘s experience in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver disease by applying grounded theory analysis based on TCM literature and clinical cases. Methods The traditional Chinese medicine literature related to Yao Lao‘s chronic liver disease was searched in the database, the medical records of Yao Lao‘s chronic liver disease clinic were collected, and the two parts of the original data were coded and analyzed by using the three-levels log-in method of grounded theory. Results The theoretical framework of "Yao Lao‘s thinking and cognition in the clinical treatment of chronic liver disease" and "Yao Lao‘s thinking and cognition in the clinical treatment of chronic liver disease" were preliminarily established. Conclusion The application of grounded theory to the study of the experience of famous traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) practitioners is conducive to the establishment of a systematic theoretical system and the inheritance of their academic thoughts.