Abstract: Lake nutrient criteria provide science foundation and important tools for the comprehensive evaluation, prevention, control and management of lake eutrophication. The latest research progress of lake nutrient criteria was discussed, and the advantages, disadvantages and applicability of the different methods, such as statistical analysis, stressor-response model, model extrapolation and paleolimnology, analyzed. The development tendencies and the challenges of determining nutrient criteria were discussed. Reference lakes can reflect the original state of lakes, but reference sites were unavailable. The model extrapolation required sufficient data to identify the appropriate equations for characterizing a waterbody or group of waterbodies, which enhanced the difficulty of nutrient criteria setting. The stressor-response model would become the development direction of nutrient criteria, and the mechanism of stressor-response model should be further studied. On the basis of research on the relationships between water ecological criteria and eutrophication, and the response of nutrient criteria to plankton and to special sensitive species, the establishment of nutrient criteria should be closely integrated with the requirements of lake management.