As an important part of the hydrological cycle， moisture recycling is a process in which evaporated water vapor returns to the local area again in the form of precipitation. In this paper， the development process of the basic theory of moisture recycling was reviewed. Three types of moisture recycling research methods from the domestic and foreign research were investigated systematically. The similarities and differences of the boundary conditions and assumptions of different box analysis models were analyzed. The advantages and limitations of water vapor tracer method and isotopic tracer method were compared. In the current domestic and international moisture recycling research， scale-dependence of the results and fewer studies on global scale are still outstanding problems. The box analysis recycling model needs to be optimized and improved. Relatively consensus equal-scale calculation schemes should be developed. In addition， moisture recycling studies should be combined with the studies of the global water cycle， in order to supplement relevant components of global water balance. Dynamic changes of the water cycle should also be considered the changes of moisture recycling.