Penjing generally fall into one of three categories

Tree Penjing (shumu penjing): A tree penjing focuses on the depiction of one or more trees and optionally other plants in a container, with the composition's dominant elements shaped by the creator through trimming, pruning, and wiring.

Landscape Penjing (shanshui penjing): A landscape penjing depicts a miniature landscape by carefully selecting and shaping rocks, which are usually placed in a container in contact with water. Small live plants are placed within the composition to complete the depiction.

Water and Land Penjing (shuihan penjing): This style of penjing effectively combines the first two, including miniature trees and optionally miniature figures and structures to portray a landscape in detail.