Embodiments of the present invention provide a wireless communication method and a device. The wireless communication method includes: determining, by a base station, a transmission mode used to send data to a terminal in a current scheduling period, where the transmission mode is one of a paired transmission mode or a non-paired transmission mode; and sending, by the base station to the terminal, information indicating a terminal type corresponding to the transmission mode. According to the method and device, the terminal may perform corresponding processing according to the transmission mode, thereby improving processing efficiency. For example, the terminal may select an adaptive receiving algorithm to demodulate a signal, to improve demodulation efficiency and accuracy.