Recent developrments of the spectroscopic and chemical techniques used most frequently for the measurements of atmospheric trace gases were reviewed, with the emphasis on the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS), the differential absorption Li-dar (DIAL), the Fourier transform spectrometer(FTS) and the tunable-diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). The chemical techniques involved the gas chromatograph, mass spectrometer and their combination, the chemoluminescent methods, the matrix isolation and electron spin resonance as well as gas supersonic expansion and laser induced fluorescence, etc.. The wide range spectroscopic measurements, the combination of spectroscopic and chemical technologies as well as the trends of instrument miniaturization were disscussed as the potential technologies in the future.