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<strong>Objective</strong> To investigate the correlation of chronic pain after surgery and acute pain within 48 h after temporal craniotomy. <strong>Methods</strong> One hundred and seventy-six patients who underwent surgery through temporal approach were divided into 3 groups and treated with morphine 30 mg (Group M, N = 57), tramadol 1000 mg (Group T, N = 60) and morphine 20 mg + flurbiprofen 200 mg (Group F, N = 59) by patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA). Postoperative acute pain (resting and movement) was evaluated by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 4, 16, 24 and 48 h respectively. Chronic pain was measured by Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) 3 months after surgery. The characteristics of acute and chronic pain, the relationship between them and analgesic effect of 3 kinds of analgesic drugs were analyzed. <strong>Results</strong> The differences of observed indicators including gender, age, weight and operating time, which might affect the degree of postoperative pain between before and after surgery were not statistically significant (P &gt; 0.05). VAS scores at different time points within 48 h after surgery in each group decreased gradually. The VAS scores in group T (2.91 ± 1.64) was significantly higher than group M (2.19 ± 1.68) and group F (1.71 ± 1.17, P &lt; 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence and severity of chronic pain among 3 groups (P &gt; 0.05). The overall incidence rate of chronic pain was 71.02% (125/176), with moderate and severe pain in 15.91% (28/176). Chronic pain and acute postoperative pain severity were positively correlated (resting: rs = 0.171, P = 0.012; movement: rs = 0.190, P = 0.006). The difference of the acute pain (VAS) corresponding to SF-MPQ Ⅱ score &gt; 0 and SF-MPQ Ⅱ score = 0 was statistically significant (P &lt; 0.05). <strong>Conclusion</strong> The postoperative chronic pain following temporal craniotomy is related to acute pain within 48 h after operation. Effective treatment of early postoperative acute pain may reduce the incidence of chronic pain.