Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common disease that affects patients' quality of life (QoL). We aim to explore which symptoms bothered the patient most. This is a cross-sectional study of CRS patients 2years after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). The main observation indicators were SNOT-22 and visual analog scale (VAS) scores. The patients were grouped according to clinical control standard of EPOS 2020. Patients' symptom scores and postoperative medication were used for analysis. A total of 276 patients were included, among them, uncontrolled patients accounted for 23.9%, sense of taste/smell, fatigue, lacking of a good night's sleep, reduced concentration and reduced productivity were the most serious symptoms that troubled them. VAS and SNOT-22 scores were significantly different among all groups (P = 0.000), and had clinical significance for the diagnosis of clinical uncontrolled patients (both P < 0.0001). Furthermore, the duration of corticosteroids use and nasal saline irrigation in uncontrolled patients was significantly longer than that in other patients (P < 0.05). There are significant differences in the QoL of CRS patients with different clinical control, sleep and psychological disorders are main symptoms that affect the QoL of CRS patients, and more targeted management of sleep/psychological issues may be needed especially for uncontrolled patients.