This study aimed to summarize the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndrome type and syndrome element distribution characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis(RA) and review the literature in this field.Methods:TCM syndrome-related literature on RA in China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)，Chinese Citation Database(CCD)，China Science Periodical Database(CSPD)，China Biology Medicine Disc(CBM)，and PubMed Database was collected from January 1st，2000 to September 30th，2023.Two researchers independently completed literature screening and literature information sorting according to the classification criteria and statistically described the annual number of publications，provinces of publishing units，funding funds，information of included patients，distribution of syndrome types，distribution of syndrome elements，and distribution of syndrome element combinations.Results:A total of 66 papers were included.The province with the most publications was Yunnan Province(n=8).The funding funds were mainly from national projects and provincial projects.The included articles included a total of 32 365 cases.The five syndrome types with the highest frequency were wind-cold-dampness obstruction(19.39%)，damp-heat obstruction(16.36%)，cold-dampness obstruction(10.64%)，phlegm-stasis obstruction(9.00%)，and deficiency of liver and kidney(7.62%).After the extraction of syndrome elements，three RA syndrome elements were obtained，which were kidney，liver，and spleen，and 10 pathogenic syndrome elements were obtained，among which the four syndrome elements with the highest frequency were dampness(n=19 284，30.16%)，cold(n=13 663，21.37%)，heat(n=9 397，14.70%)，and wind(n=8 945，13.99%).The syndrome element combinations were mostly two-element and three-element combinations，accounting for 62.91% and 35.97%，respectively.Conclusion:The important pathological factors of RA are cold，heat，and dampness，and it is mainly located in the kidney，spleen，and liver.The major syndrome types and syndrome elements explain the etiology and pathogenesis of RA to a certain extent.