Abstract: In this study,using CNKI as the data source,the method of bibliometric analysis was used to analyze the published literature from 1985 to 2023. The main results showed that a turning point was in 2012 along the change trend of the quantities of published literature on tree transplantation. There was an upward trend remarkably from 1985 to 2012,then the trend became gradually declining. Among the 2841 retrieved publications,the frequency of big tree transplantation occurrences was the highest with 1347 times,and the centrality of big tree transplantation was 0.71. The main tree species transplanted were Camphora officinarum and Ginkgo biloba. Urban greening was the earliest emerging keyword,while the outburst intensity of landscape architecture was the highest with 13.37 times. In terms of targeted tree species,camphor trees were favored,with a keyword frequency of 28 times. Among different research institutions,Beijing Institute of Landscape Architecture published the most literature,with 9 articles. Zhen Hongwei had the highest number of publications at 9 articles,while Zhao Xiaoyu,Gao Zhijin,and Ma Lihong formed the most closely-knit cooperation team,with the largest collaboration network. The quantities of representative related research institutions was the highest with 35 times in East China. However,over the past 40 years,the concept of the research object of big tree transplantation has not been clearly defined. Furthermore,the researches has been concentrated in the field of technical development. It was suggested that researches should be carried out on the aspects,e.g. adaptation mechanism,landscape configuration,and management policies of tree transplantation in the future.