The invention discloses a double-mode nitrogen-phosphorus treating system for sewage and a method and belongs to the field of sewage treatment. The method is characterized in that sewage passes through a reaction tank and a secondary settling tank in sequence to realize enhanced denitrification and dephosphorization; when the overflowing sludge operation mode is adopted, the total-phosphorus removing ratio is more than 90% or the effluent TP is less than 1mg/L, deltaBOD/deltaTN is less than 4, the maximum flow flux of all areas in the system is not more than 2.2Q, and the phosphorus containingratio of returned sludge is more than 4%. The double-mode nitrogen-phosphorus treating system disclosed by the invention has the advantages that high-efficiency denitrification and dephosphorizationis achieved, the operation is energy-saving and low-carbon, the load is high, the occupied area is small, the denitrifying dephosphorization is realized, the TN removing ratio is not limited by the return ratio, the control is simple and the operation and the management are convenient and the like. The double-mode nitrogen-phosphorus treating system consists of the reaction tank, the secondary settling tank and a connecting pipeline; the reaction tank comprises a pre-hypoxic area, an anaerobic area, a middle settling area, an aerobic nitrating area, a denitrifying area, an aerobic decarbonizing area and a water discharging area in sequence from the water feeding end to the water discharging end; connecting pipelines include a main water feeding pipe, a branch water feeding pipe, a water discharging pipe, a sludge overflowing pipe, a sludge returning pipe, a remaining-sludge discharging pipe and the like; the technological process is simple.