[Background] High permeability pulmonary edema is the basic pathophysiological characteristics of acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), the degree of which is directly bound up with the prognosis of ALI/ARDS. [Objective] Rational fluid therapy for ALI/ARDS patients contributes to pulmonary edema amelioration and mortality reduction. [Content] In this article, we reviewed the controversial issues such as（1）the selection of a conservative or a liberal strategy of fluid therapy and（2）the selection of the fluid type. We also summarized the research progress in this field, such as （1）different treatment and（2） monitoring indicators for distinct stage in the progress of ALI/ARDS during the past few years. [Trend] Future research will focus on exploring specific fluid therapy strategy for ALI/ARDS during various pathophysiology stages, and seeking effective and sensitive monitoring indicators to guide the selection and adjustment of fluid therapy strategy for ALI/ARDS.