Clement Greenberg is an influential figure in American art world in 1940s and 50s. He contributed greatly to abstract expressionist art. His influence declined since 1960s. His name was introduced to China in the end of 1980s. In 1990s, some of his important academic articles were translated into Chinese, which impacted art criticism in China. Although Greenberg’s art critic theories have lost their validity in the contemporary time in terms of art history writing and art critic practice, he has become an important research subject of modern and contemporary European and American art history. However, the study on Greenberg lacks in China, with only the book Art and Culture published in Chinese. Yet China is in the middle of a new art stage, thus how to read and refer to Greenberg becomes a theoretical and practical problem worth our thinking. This article explains the necessity to refer to Greenberg, and the importance to transcend his art theoretical frame.