The translation of German philosopher and poet Nietzsche’s poems by Chinese intellectuals in the early 20th century can be roughly divided into three stages: the early 20th century, the May Fourth Movement and the 1930s and 40s. The translation of Nietzsche’s poems shows that the translation of Nietzsche in China has a distinct selective tendency, which strengthens and highlights the image of “Nietzsche”; It is “Nietzsche as a writer” rather than “Nietzsche as a philosopher” that has exerted an important influence on modern Chinese literature. Some modern Chinese writers have absorbed plot patterns, characters, ideological themes and stylistic forms from Nietzsche’s poems.