The book gives a systematic summary of the experience in corpse appearance examination in forensic medicine before the Song Dynasty, becoming the first book to offer systematic guidance on corpse appearance examination. It has made a great contribution to the development of forensic medicine in the world.

The book is a representative work on ancient forensic medicine. After Xiyuan Jilu, there were dozens of books published in succession on forensic medicine, such as Pingyuan Lu, Wuyuan Lu, Xiyuan Jielu, Xiyuan Falu, and Xiyuan Lu proofread by Luli Guan (Publishing House). But none of the books deviated from Xiyuan Jilu in central contents. Hence, this book is the ancestor of all the other books of the same kind in later generations, marking an epoch in the development of forensic medicine in China.

The book was not only the guiding book for postmortem examination in ancient forensic medicine in China, but was also spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and other countries. By the end of the 19th century, it was the basis for postmortem examination in those countries. As the representative work of Asian ancient forensic medicine, it contributed greatly to the cultural exchange between China and other countries.