Pneumonia can be divided into syndromes of wind and cold tightening the lung, wind and heat tightening the lung as well as phlegm and heat tightening the lung according to the differences of pathogenic factors and courses of disease in syndrome differentiation. The exterior syndrome of wind and cold. With the symptoms of cough and short breath due to pulmonary qi obstruction and stagnation may be seen in the syndrome of wind and cold tightening the lung; the exterior syndrome of wind and heat. With the symptoms of cough and short breath due to pulmonary qi obstruction and stagnation may be seen in the syndrome of wind and heat tightening the lung.

Besides, the phlegm-heat tightening the lung with the symptoms of high fever, dysphoria, short breath, flapping of ala nasi, throat rales, etc. due to accumulated phlegm and heat obstructing qi passage, the failure of the lung to disperse and descend often appears following the above two  syndromes. Deteriorated cases generally occur at the stage of phlegm and heat tightening the lung. In the case of deteriorated cases, the disease can be classified into deficiency of heart yang and invasion of Jueyin meridian by pathogenic factors in accordance with the state of illness. For the patients with deficiency of heart yang, the commonly-seen symptoms include sudden pale complexion, cyanotic lips and nails, worsened dyspnea, sweating, cold limbs, feeble-fading and rapid pulse, etc. because the body resistance fails to conquer pathogenic factors; for the patients with pathogenic factors invading Jueyin meridian, the commonly-encountered symptoms include high fever, coma, clonic convulsion, delirium, etc. because the excessive pathogenic factors invade the inside.

Weakened body resistance prevails at the late stage of pneumonia and syndrome differentiation fails into syndrome of lung heat due to yin deficiency and syndrome of qi deficiency of the lung and spleen. For the patients with the lung heat due to yin deficiency, the commonly-seen symptoms include dry cough without sputum, low fever, night sweat, reddish tongue with no coating, thready and rapid pulse for the patients with qi deficiency of the lung and spleen, the commonly-seen symptoms include cough, weakness, short breath, spontaneous sweating, poor digestion, loose bowels, pale tongue with whitish and slippery fur, thready and feeble pulse.