Abstract: Taking two kinds of vegetables (Brassica rapa and Amaranthus mangostanus) and one insect species (Prodenia litura) as test materials, a greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to study the transfer characteristics of cadmium (Cd) in soilvegetableinsect food chain and the distribution patters of different Cd chemical forms in the organs of the two vegetables. With the increasing concentration of applied Cd in soil, the biomass of the two vegetables decreased significantly, while the Cd concentration in the vegetables had a significant increase. The Cd concentration in the vegetable organs decreased in the order of stem > root > leaf for A.  mangostanus, and of stem > leaf > root for B. rapa. The Cd concentration in P. litura larvae also increased with the increasing concentration of Cd in soil, and the maximum Cd concentration in the P. litura larvae on B. rapa and A. mangostanus was 36.7 and 46.3 mg·kg^-1, respectively. In the feces of the larvae on B. rapa and A. mangostanus, the Cd concentration was up to 190 and 229.8 mg·kg^-1, respectively, suggesting that the most part of Cd absorbed by P. litura larvae was excreted out of their bodies via feces. In the organs of the two vegetables, NaClextractable Cd was the dominant Cd form (>70%), followed by dH₂O and ethanolextractable Cd, while the HAcextractable Cd (insoluble cadmium phosphate), HClextractable Cd (insoluble cadmium oxalate), and residual Cd only had a very low concentration. Such a present pattern of different Cd forms in vegetable organs could be conducive to the Cd transfer in the food chain. P. litura could ease Cd poison by excreting large amount of absorbed Cd via feces, and effectively restrict the transfer of Cd to next trophic level. Since B. rapa and A. mangostanus could accumulate large amount of Cd in their biomass, the two vegetables were suggested not to be planted in highly Cdcontaminated soil.