Objective To explore the relationship between Chinese medicine syndrome and cognitive impairment characteristics in patients with mild cognitive impairment（ MCI）. Methods One hundred and twenty MCI patients were divided into amnestic MCI（ a MCI） and non amnestic MCI（ na MCI） according to different area of cognitive impairment. Patients were taken syndrome differentiation following the Chinese medicine syndrome typing standard of senile dementia. Distribution situation of patients with different Chinese medicine syndromes in different subtypes was calculated. The cognitive domains（ including visuospatial execution

naming

attention

language expression

abstract

delayed recall and orientation） of patients with different Chinese medicine syndromes were scored with Montreal Cognitive Assessment（ Mo CA）. Correlation analysis was made on Chinese medicine syndromes and cognitive domains damage. Results Among 120 MCI patients

76 cases were of a MCI type

and 44 cases of na MCI type.Thirty- eight cases were with kidney deficiency and marrow reduction syndrome

36 cases with phlegm obstructing orifices syndrome

18 cases with deficiency of heart and spleen syndrome

18 cases with Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome

and 10 cases with Yin deficiency of heart and liver syndrome. The most common Chinese medicine syndrome was phlegm obstructing orifices syndrome in a MCI type（ 26 cases

34. 2%）

and kidney deficiency and marrow reduction syndrome in na MCI type（ 18 cases

40. 9%）. Rank of the total Mo CA scores of each syndrome from low to high were as follows

kidney deficiency and marrow reduction syndrome

phlegm obstructing orifices syndrome

Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome

deficiency of heart and spleen syndrome

and Yin deficiency of heart and liver syndrome.（ P < 0. 05） There were significant differences between kidney deficiency and marrow reduction syndrome and Yin deficiency of heart and liver syndrome（ or deficiency of heart and spleen syndrome

or Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome）（ P < 0. 05）. Correlation analysis showed that kidney deficiency and marrow reduction syndrome had correlation with damage of visuospatial executive function and orientation（ P < 0. 05）. Phlegm obstructing orifices syndrome had correlation with damage of language expression and delayed recall（ P < 0. 05）. There were no significant correlation between Yin deficiency of heart and liver syndrome

deficiency of heart and spleen syndrome

as well as Qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome and all cognitive domains damage（ P > 0. 05）. Conclusion Kidney deficiency and marrow reduction syndrome and phlegm obstructing orifices syndrome were the most common syndromes in MCI. Patients with kidney deficiency and marrow reduction syndrome might have obvious damage in visuospatial executive and orientation function. Patients with phlegm obstructing orifices syndrome might have obvious damage in language expression and delayed recall.