Background　One-lung ventilation （OLV） is a quite special ventilation way in the anesthesiology，offering the convenience for the thoracic surgery，meanwhile it also causes acute lung injury（ALI）.　Objective　This review updates recent researches on the mechanisms of lung injury caused by OLV.　Content　The mechanisms of lung injury by OLV include four hands： barotrauma、volutrauma、atelectrauma and hypoxia injury associated with reperfusion. These factors result in biotrauma which induced by cytokines and inflammatory mediators.　Trend　The undergoing mechanisms of lung injury during OLV still need to be studied deeply and explored continuously， and it has great significance for performing the protection strategy.