The research works and achievements of seismic subsidence of loess, obtained over the past 30 years, were reviewed. Seismic subsidence of loess has been verified by microstructure characteristics, dynamic triaxial experiments, and in-site explosion test, and has been an important project in the research field of seismic loess engineering. However, the research remains on saturated soil theory, and there are no typical case studies of seismic subsidence of loess in historical earthquakes. It is difficult to express structure characteristic using microstructure morphology, therefore, soil mechanics is an available method for this. The seismic subsidence judgment is just absolute in some certain value ranges for several parameters, therefore, probability judgment should be developed. Seismic subsidence ratio is estimated to empirical formulas or semiempirical and semitheoretical formulas, which are on the basis of laboratory test data. These formulas are not established on the physical process and mechanics of seismic subsidence, leading to much more variables, complicated computation, and bad application. To solve these problems, it needs to distinguish main factors and corresponding variables firstly, and to establish mechanic model of seismic subsidence estimation, which can reflect physics and mechanic. The key of anti-seismic subsidence technology is to relieve seismic subsidence of soil body, and to lower the interreaction between soil body and underground structures.[著者文摘]