Objective To compare and analyze the diagnostic value of CT and MRI in hemorrhagic cerebral infarction (HI). Methods Seventy patients with HI from January 2011to December 2013 in our hospital were admitted to underwent CT and MRI, combined with the CT, MRI performance, to have the CT classification of HI according to the European cooperative acute stroke study, and on the basis, to have the MRI HI classification. The characteristics of different types of HT in CT and MRI were compared. Results Eighteen cases of HI were detected according to CT classification while 70 cases were discovered by MRI classification, the sensitiveness for HI of MRI was higher than CT(P＜0.05). The CT features of HI: the infarct area show as low density and the bleeding lesion show as high density. The MRI features of HI: the infarct area revealed hyperintensity and the bleeding lesion revealed hypointensity. The MRI features of bleeding lesion: it revealed mainly isointensity or hypointensity in hyperacute, acute, chronic phase and hyperintensity in subacute phase on T1WI. It revealed mainly hypointensity in hyperacute, acute, chronic phase and hyperintensity in late subacute phase, chronic phase on T2WI and FLAIR. The forms of bleeding: it showed as dotlike, filiform, irregular patchy form in CT and gyrus-like, filiform, irregular patchy form in MRI. The range of bleeding: the range of bleeding displayed in CT was smaller than MRI obviously in the same period of the same patient. Conclusion MRI is able to display HI of different periods which is significant to the clinical diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. MRI is more sensitive than CT in the diagnosis of HI. The MRI classification for HI is more available for clinical work.