A method and an apparatus for updating table entries of a TCAM are disclosed. The method comprises: creating a virtual TCAM list, of which respective first TCAM table entries are one-to-one corresponding to respective second TCAM table entries stored in a hardware TCAM; determining, in idle resources of the hardware TCAM, a storage position of a second TCAM table entry to be updated corresponding to a first TCAM table entry to be updated, according to a pre-specified precedence relationship between the storage positions of the first TCAM table entry to be updated and other first TCAM table entry in the virtual TCAM list; and performing an updating operation on the second TCAM table entry to be updated based on the determined storage position. According to the present invention, the storage position of the second TCAM table entry to be updated is selected from the idle resources of the hardware TCAM so far as possible, and thus the problem of a low efficiency in updating table entries because of the rewriting of a lot of other second TCAM table entries caused by updating the second TCAM table entries in the hardware TCAM is overcome.