“The theory of "collateral disease" is one of the most guiding theories in explaining the pathogenesis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). This article deeply elaborates on the pathological manifestations of MPP and the core evolutionary characteristics of "collateral damage". From the perspective of "collateral disease", it scientifically explains the clinical efficacy and mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicine in treating MPP in the past five years, providing a solution to the bottleneck of clinical treatment of drug-resistant MPP and opening up new directions for the research of traditional Chinese medicine in treating MPP.”