Convective initiation (CI) in the atmosphere is an important symptom of severe convective weather and the focus of severe convective weather forecast and early warning,which has been paid more and more attention in recent years.This paper reviews the research progress of CI at home and abroad,mainly including the definition of CI,mature CI algorithm based on radar data and satellite data,local space-time distribution characteristics of CI,and main factors affecting CI.On this basis,the future research of CI is prospected in order to deepen the understanding of CI and provide reference for the short-term and imminent forecast and early warning of severe convective weather.