Objective To compare the difference in psychological resilience and professional identity of nursing students with different temperaments and to provide a reference for providing personalized psychological and vocational counseling. Methods Nursing students who practiced in Zhengzhou University Affiliated Tumor Hospital between May 2015 and March 2017 were selected using convenient sampling and investigated with the general information questionnaire, temperament scale, psychological resilience scale and nurses' professional identity scale. Totally 380 questionnaires were distributed, and 368 valid questionnaires were collected. Results The temperaments of the 368 nursing students were choleric (63) , sanguineous (109) , phlegmatic (77) , melancholic (36) and mixed (83) . Their professional identity and physical resilience scores totaled (56.0±12.0) and (61.7±10.3) , respectively. There were statistical differences in the total score and in difference dimensions of psychological resilience of different temperament types (P<0.05) . There were statistical differences in the total score of professional identity and in the dimensions of professional self-concept, social comparison and self-reflection and social persuasion of different temperament types (P<0.05) . Conclusions Nursing students' psychological resilience and professional identity stands at a medium and low level, and there is difference in psychological resilience and professional identity in nursing students of different temperaments. Nursing educators shall provide targeted psychological and vocational counseling based on nursing students' temperaments. Key words: Students, nursing; Temperament; Psychological resilience; Professional identity