Soil health has become a hot topic in soil science. Scientific assessment of soil health is fundamental to soil management and the achievement of sustainable development goals. Soil health assessment is challenging because of the multiple properties and ecosystem services. In this paper, the development of the concept and the traditional health assessment indicators, including physical, chemical and biological indicators, and their connotation were summarized. Also, the commonly used soil health assessment frameworks and their applicability were introduced while the general procedure of soil health assessment was summarized. This study also pointed out that the future soil health assessment in China should enhance the weight of carbon pool index, biological index and environmental index. Thus, the paper aims to lay a foundation for the establishment of a soil health assessment method that conforms to China's national conditions.