Professor Li’s research methods were magnificently influenced by the late contemporary scholar Jiang Li’an, former vice-president of Hubei College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Since the year 1961, he has successively read through classics from Shuowen Jiezi (Analytical Dictionary of Chinese Characters), Annotation on Shuowen Jiezi, Phonological Study of Shuowen According to Exegetics and Notes on the Annotation on Shuowen Jiezi to works of philology, like Ya Xue (Study of Elegance) and The Rhyme Books. While reading extensively, he is not bounded by predecessors and is inclined to come up with new ideas. He emphasizes that the acceptance and rejection of theories should be well-grounded. The study of ancient works and their academic thoughts and value should be guided by Marxist philosophy, dialectical materialism and historical materialism.

Professor Li Jinyong has introduced for the first time the study of classics to the research of ancient TCM classics, among which he carries out in-depth research on quite a few pending questions by making wise use of the basic principles embedded in the Study of Textual Criticism, Exegetics, Phonology and Palaeography. On this basis, he has published hundreds of academic articles with respect to disclosure and analysis of puzzles, exegesis of textual and lexical meanings of ancient medical books. He has done quite a lot of unprecedented research and settled academic problems in history. The achievements he has made on the study of medical classics The Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon of Medicine and The Synopsis of Golden Chamber have been cited by different nationwide textbooks, which are adopted by colleges and universities of TCM and collated and annotated ancient books of TCM coordinated by the state.