Rivers are an important channel for natural inorganic carbon cycling.Dissolved inorganic carbon(DIC)occupies about 50%of river carbon fluxes.In recent years,the analysis of DIC concentration and stable carbon isotope characteristics has become an effective method and an important technical indicator for tracing carbon sources,tracking carbon cycle and revealing carbon dynamic changes.This paper intro-duces the method of stable carbon isotopes in DIC determination,compares different pretreatment methods,proposes the analysis method of stable carbon isotopes,summarizes the characteristics of river DIC concen-tration and stable carbon isotope composition values,and analyzes the important factors affecting river DIC concentration and 613 CDIC including chemical weathering of rocks,seasonal effects,land use type,aquatic photosynthesis and degassing and human activities.On this basis,the paper puts forward some application prospect of stable carbon isotope techniques,and analyzes and prospects the problems of stable carbon iso-tope technology,providing a theoretical basis for the carbon cycle process of dissolved inorganic carbon and the determination of river water recharge end elements in China.