Canopy interception is an important component of canopy rainfall partitioning and land surface evapotranspiration，having a non-negligible effect on the local hydrologic cycle and water balance，especially for the arid ecosystem characterized typically by sparse vegetation cover. Therefore， quantifying the mechanic formation of canopy rainfall interception can improve our understanding of the water and energy balance in arid ecosystems，as well as the ecohydrological effect of sparse vegetation on local hydrological process，and can provide an important implication for vegetation conservation management in drylands. The main objective of this review is to make a systematic summary of the observation methods in experimental studies and principle models for sparse canopy interception loss in drylands， and specifically put our focus on the effects of canopy structure traits （spatial distribution，leaf orientation，and leaf area index， etc.），rainfall regime （i.e.，rainfall amount，intensity，and duration），and atmospheric conditions （e.g.，wind speed，air temperature，vapor pressure deficit） on sparse canopy interception. We also make suggestions to improve and consummate the experiments and models for present sparse canopy interception loss.