Brachydactyly（BD） is a congenital deformity that refers to shortening of the hands/feet due to small or missing metacarpals/metatarsals and/or phalanges characterized by bone dysostosis. According to Bell＇s classification, BD can be divided into to five categories： A to E. Recent years, new subtypes were advocated. Among these, BDA3 and BDD may be the most common subtypes. The deformity was close related to familial inheritance and gene mutations. In this review, the advancements in etiology, classification and treatments of brachydactyly were summarized.