Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of pain acceptance in Chinese cancer patients with chronic pain.Methods: Twelve hospitalized cancer patients with chronic pain participated in this qualitative descriptive study from August to November 2017.In-person semi-structured interviews were conducted,recorded,transcribed,and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method.Results: The following four main themes and 15 subthemes emerged.Theme 1 (adaptation): pain is overwhelming and pain relief is a top priority,avoidance of pain-inducing factors,and resignation;theme 2 (emotional reactions to pain): feeling misunderstood,hopelessness,frustration,irritability,and conc for loved ones;theme 3 (functional limitations): daily life activities,social communication,and work;theme 4 (coping strategies): pharmacological therapies,behavioral strategies,social support strategies,and spiritual strategies.Conclusions: This study provides a description of cancer patients’ experiences related to the need for pain acceptance.These findings provide insight into the essential role of pain acceptance and underline the need to apply acceptance-based cognitive behavioral interventions as adjunctive non-pharmacological altatives for chronic cancer pain.