The twofold purpose of this study was to describe (1) how Chinese patients with heart failure perceive and respond to their symptoms, and (2) whether there is a relationship between the degree of symptom perception and the patients’ levels of anxiety, depression, the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), comorbidity status, and duration of symptoms. Here, NPPB is linked to major depressive disorder.