Objective To analyze the course of development of chronic fatigue syndrome ( CFS) and its research hotspots and frontiers .Methods We retrieved 3723 CFS-related papers published in the Web of Science databases between 2000 and 2014, and obtained a series of mapping knowledge domains with the help of the CiteSpace Ⅲ.Results By visually analyzing the network of international cooperation , mainstream academic communities , development trends and research hotspots in the field of CFS ,the classical literature was quickly decided on and reviewed so that research frontier and development trends were accurately defined .Conclusion Our analysis shows that the academic communities in the field of CFS are mainly located in the United States ,England and other Western countries .Research hotspots shifted from case characters to influence factors ,mechanisms and therapeutic methods .Currently,research frontiers are the etiological theory of pathogen infection and the pathophysiological mechanisms of similar chronic diseases .