Abstract: Diabetes mellitus(DM) has been a great challenge to human health. is As one of the most important complications,diabetic nephropathy(DN) is a major cause of end-stage renal disease(ESRD). Early diagnosis and treatment are essential for ameliorating the prognosis of DN patients. However,it is limited to diagnosing DN only by clinical manifestations and biochemical parameters. The pathological manifestations of diabetics with renal injury are diverse and complex and the proportion of non-diabetic nephropathy(NDRD) is quite common. As a new and safer tool,renal biopsy is a gold diagnostic standard for DN. So it is recommended for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of DN. Here the relevant clinical and pathological parameters of DN were reviewed for practicing references.