Abstract: Water repellency is the hydrophobic property of soil which indicates the physical phenomenon that the surface of soil particles can not or hard to be moistened by soil water. Study on water repellency is not only helpful to assessing the impact of hydrophobic property of soils on ecological environment, but also beneficial to providing soil erosion control with new approaches. The development of water repellency theory and the relevant research achievements at each major development phrases were summarized. The main environmental factors causing soil water repellency such as fire, soil texture, vegetation, etc., were elaborated, and the research development tendency regarding water repellency of soils were prospected so as to be referred by the corresponding studies in the future.