Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) is an inflammatory lung injury induced by a variety of factors, and these diseases are associated with high rates of mortality due to the lack of effective treatments. Based on the latest research in ALI/ARDS, it is widely accepted that generalized inflammatory responses play a critical role in initiating and developing process of ALI/ARDS. We make a brief review on the immune-pathogenesis and the signaling pathways of ALI/ARDS from the perspective of inflammation, thereby helping develop novel therapeutic strategy for treatment of patients with ALI/ARDS.