Acute lung injury is an acute and critical respiratory disease with complex pathogenesis, which has a high incidence rate and high mortality. At present, acute lung injury is mainly treated by mechanical ventilation, glucocorticoid anti-inflammatory and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Traditional Chinese medicine also shows great potential in improving the clinical manifestations and prognosis of patients. Quercetin is a flavonol compound, which can prevent and treat acute lung injury by anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative stress, regulating programmed cell death, antibacterial and antiviral. This article summarizes the mechanism of action and research progress of quercetin in the treatment of acute lung injury, aiming to provide reference for subsequent research and clinical applications.