Abstract: After the fresh-cut processing, Chinese water chestnut is under mechanical pressure and its self-resistance mechanism induces a series of physiological and biochemical changes, resulting in discoloration and shelf life shortening, which limits the rapid development of the Chinese water chestnut industry. Currently, discoloration control methods of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut are mainly focused on the use of composite preserver, and there are also a few other methods such as thermal processing treatment, modified atmosphere treatment, and coating treatment. This paper analyzes the causes of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut browning, sorts out the comprehensive mechanism of fresh-cut Chinese water chestnut discoloration, and summarizes the main discoloration control methods used at present.