Objective To understand the cognition of moral education among teachers in medical colleges and universities, and to provide reference for improving teachers′ moral awareness and ability. Methods Qualitative research method was adopted. Taking B University of Traditional Chinese Medicine as an example, 18 teachers with different professional titles, years of teaching and course categories were interviewed in semi-structured manner from March to May 2022, and the interview data were analyzed by subject analysis method. Results Three themes were extracted: teachers′ strong awareness and high cognitive level of moral education; The development stage and gender of teachers are the factors affecting the perception level of moral education. Society, family, school, students affect the effect of moral education. Conclusions Medical colleges and universities can further strengthen teachers′ moral education awareness through propaganda and guidance, carry out personalized training based on the needs of teachers of different genders and at different stages of development, and improve the institutional mechanisms of moral education, leveraging the educational roles of society, families, and schools.