Abstract: The distributed energy system is an important carrier and means of promoting the development of the energy revolution, and it will play a significant role in the future energy system. Multi-energy complementarity is the main direction and key characteristic of the development of the distributed energy system. Thus, it is of great significance to carry out related research on multi-energy complementarity distributed energy systems for China's energy transformation. In terms of five aspects, _i.e. quantitative characterization of resources and demand forecasting, system integration and multi-energy flow modeling, system planning and optimization design, operation optimization and active energy management, as well as the comprehensive evaluation, the paper analyzes the research status of the multi-energy complementary distributed energy system, discusses the potential development trend and possible challenges. Some references and suggestions are provided for scientific research and industry development.