 The bottom-up methods for synthesizing carbon dots, CDs, remain the most widely used route to produce large-scale and low-cost CDs, but the structure and property features of CDs have evolved significantly over time, leading to classification concerns. A new classification called carbonized polymer dots, CPDs, is proposed based on the analysis of structure and property features, revealing CPDs as an emerging class of CDs with distinctive polymer-slash-carbon hybrid structures and properties. The synthesis methods of CDs are also summarized, and the effects of synthesis conditions on the structure and properties of CPDs are discussed comprehensively. Insights into formation process and nucleation mechanism of CPDs are offered, and a perspective for future development of CDs is proposed with critical insights into facilitating their potential in various application fields. This article was authored by Chun-lai Xia, Shouzhu and Zhu, Tang Lu Feng, and others.