Abstract: The carbonylation reaction of dimethyl ether is an important carbon addition reaction with directed insertion of carbon monoxide into dimethyl ether molecule, which is of great significance in industrial production. In recent years, it has been found that inexpensive mordenite has higher activity and very excellent carbonylation product selectivity for catalyzing the carbonylation reaction of dimethyl ether, hence widely studied. This review surveys researches on mordenite catalyzed carbonylation of dimethyl ether, introduces the mechanism of carbonylation reaction, and summarizes the various methods of controlling the acidic sites inside mordenite and their effects on the carbonylation reaction.