Dyspnea as a medical term refers specifically to the subjective experience of uncomfortable breathing, and it includes several subjective feelings of varying nature and severity. Dyspnea arises from a variety of physiological, psychological, social, and environmental factors, and dyspnea itself can cause secondary physiological and behavioral responses. Pathophysiological mechanisms such as the degree of respiratory effort, stimulation of peripheral central chemoreceptors, stimulation of pulmonary and chest wall mechanoreceptors, and central integration of peripheral afferents cause perceived dyspnea, including “respiratory amplitude and frequency”, “respiratory thirst “, “dyspnea associated with respiratory timing”, “wheezing”. Emotional dyspnea refers to the “uncomfortable” and “emotional response” that accompanies dyspnea, and occurs through mechanisms related to emotions, cultural background, illness experience, and individual traits. Its significance is to alert the conscious brain that “something is wrong with your peripheral organs and your own regulation is no longer sufficient to correct it, what do you need to do?” Stimulating an emotional response makes it difficult, mobilizes adaptive behavior, and even prepares the motor organs to run to the hospital. In the case of perceived dyspnea, East meets West perfectly and there are no racial differences. In contrast, emotional dyspnea is clearly influenced by the cultural context due to the different understanding and expression of emotional meaning in the East and West. Patients describe five symptoms of dyspnea of different nature, pointing to their pathophysiological alterations and negative emotions. If the physician is attentive to the language of the patient’s dyspnea during the consultation, a significant percentage of patients can be correctly diagnosed and unnecessary laboratory tests can be avoided. The distinction between perceived dyspnea and emotional dyspnea not only helps in diagnosis and differential diagnosis, its significance also lies in making the right treatment decisions to relieve symptoms and understanding the impact of dyspnea on the patient’s behavior. The latest advances in the field of dyspnea research at home and abroad brilliantly illustrate the role of the biopsychological medicine model in promoting the diagnosis and treatment of dyspnea.