Andesite is an important rock type in subduction zone magmatic arcs. Its genesis is still one of focuses on the international geological research. According to the tectonic setting of the andesite， magmatic arc andesite can be classified as continental arc andesite and oceanic arc andesite， which show different features in chemical composition and spatial distribution. Since the late 1920s， numerous researches have enriched our understanding of the genesis of magmatic arc andesite， which gradually can be summarized as Basalt-input model and Andesite-input model. The Basalt-input model considers the primary magma of magmatic arc andesite is basaltic， emphasizing the intra-crustal processes such as fractional crystallization， assimilation and contamination， and magma mixing. The Andesite-input model suggests andesitic melts can be formed directly in the mantle source， emphasizing the sub-crustal processes such as the metasomatic reaction between slab-derived fluid/melt and mantle peridotite， and rising of sediment diapirs. Although some progress has been made in the study of the genesis of magmatic arc andesite， each model still needs to be improved. There are many research fields to be studied in the future， including experimental petrology research of mantle metasomatite， relationship between andesite and the formation and evolution of continental crust， application of theoretical calculation and modelling and so on.