Background　Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome(ALI/ARDS) is a fatal disease, being caused by several factors, and the pathogenesis is quite complicated.　Objective　To compare the related reaserches of traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine on ALI/ARDS.　Content　Both Chinese and Western medicine's understanding of the pathological interpretation, diagnosis, mechanism and treatment of the parallel comparisons, highlighting both similarities and differences. though seem incompatible, The two medical systems, can be complementary.　Trend　This review will provide a theoretical guidance of the combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine on ALI/ARDS.