Pneumonia and lung abscess can be distinguished mainly by chest X-ray or chest CT. Both have some similarities in that they both present with lung lesions, but the latter lung abscess often presents with fluid levels, and the patient has typical clinical manifestations such as high fever, cough, coughing up purulent sputum, etc. In case of pneumonia and lung abscess, it is recommended to improve relevant examinations in time for clear diagnosis, such as routine blood tests, C-reactive protein, inflammatory markers and chest CT, etc. If the cough, sputum and fever are very severe, sputum culture and drug sensitivity tests are recommended for clarification. In clinical practice, if a patient presents with cough and sputum, it is important to distinguish between pneumonia and lung abscess.