Land surface, the environment where human survive and develop, is a synthesis formed with multi-scaled and multi-process interactions between natural factors. The terrestrial system, which is the core study field of physical geography, can be defined as the land surface synthesis with spatially ordered distribution and temporally dynamic balance. In the past century, natural variations and human activities have had profound influences on land surface. How they drove the changed interactions between land surface factors, and further altered the land surface pattern, are the frontier and basis for global change and geography studies. Based on the brief review of research on terrestrial system at home and abroad, the paper summarized the existing difficulties and problems, and then proposed the academic logic for studies of dynamic of terrestrial system. The research should be conducted following the logic of elements, patterns and dynamic, with emphasis on themes of processes and feedback, variation in regions and terrestrial system. At last, the synthetic scheme was designed for research on dynamic of terrestrial system. Aimed at innovation of regionalization methodology and detection on driving mechanism of dynamic of terrestrial system, the following four aspects should be included: Changes and interaction mechanism of key factors (i.e. water, soil, climate and plant) and their spatial-temporal variation; Quantifying the influences of factor interactions on regionalization formation and conversion; Quantified assessment on changing tendency and magnitude of land surface pattern under global climate change; Accomplishment of dynamic land surface pattern at different past and future stages. Correspondingly, the technical route should combine bottom-up and top-down methodologies, with field survey, earth observation, station monitoring and mathematical simulation to build the comprehensive database. Conducting research on dynamic of terrestrial system can be helpful for developing theory of integrated physical geography, deepening cognition on dynamic land surface pattern, and providing scientific basis for regional sustainable resources utilization and countermeasure establishment of climate change adaptation.