Syndrome differentiation treatment is the traditional model of diagnosis and treatment of diseases in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). To establish scientific diagnostic criteria of TCM syndrome is one of the key points in TCM study. In this paper, the basic models of the relevant diagnostic criteria of TCM syndrome and existed problems were reviewed. The authors pointed out the advantages of establishing diagnostic criteria of TCM syndrome based on TCM syndrome factors and combination of disease in Western medicine system and TCM syndrome, in which not only the characteristics of the disease in Western medicine were considered, but also the complexity and flexibility of syndrome identification and convenient application in clinical practice were resolved. The basic model and frame of the above diagnostic criteria and the procedures and methods used in developing the diagnostic criteria were also described and discussed.