Litter is not only a critical component for nutrient cycling in forest ecosystem, but also an important regulator of soil environment and function in forests. The variation in soil CO₂ emission caused by precipitation pulse is one of the sources of uncertainty for carbon sink evaluation in the terrestrial ecosystem. The role of forest litter in regulating the response of soil CO₂ emissions to precipitation pulses remains unclear. To clarify the influence of litter quantity change on the response of soil respiration to precipitation pulse, we carried out an experiment with precipitation pulse applied on different litter treated plots (control, litter removed, and litter doubled treatments) in a Quercus acutissima forest in the warm temperate zone (Jigong Mountain at Henan Province). The results showed that there were significant differences in soil respiration between plots with different litter treatments before the application of precipitation pulse. Specifically, compared with the control, litter doubled treatment significantly increased soil respiration rate by 57.6%, however, litter removed treatment showed no significant effect on soil respiration. Within 52 hours after the application of precipitation pulse, the cumulative soil CO₂ emissions were 251.69 gC/m², 250.93 gC/m², and 409.01 gC/m² under control, litter removed, and litter doubled treatments, respectively. In addition, soil CO₂ emissions under litter doubled treatment were significantly higher than those in both control and litter removed treatment; however, there was no significant difference between litter removed treatment and the control. Moreover, substantial differences in the duration time of soil respiration after precipitation pulse were found between plots with different litter treatments. Litter doubled treatment substantially elevated the duration time of soil respiration after precipitation pulse, showing 262% and 158% higher than the control and litter removed treatment, respectively. Multiple stepwise regression analysis indicated that cumulative soil CO₂ emissions and the duration time of soil respiration were closely related to the soil physicochemical properties. Soil microbial biomass nitrogen alone was responsible for 30.3% variations in cumulative soil CO₂ emission, while soil nitrate nitrogen content and soil organic carbon content together accounted for 69.5% variations in the duration time of soil respiration after the precipitation pulse. The findings in this study suggest that the forest litter quantity and its interception effect on rainfall play an important role in regulating soil CO₂ emission. Therefore, the potential indirect effect of forest litter on soil microclimate should be taken into account while assessing the effects of litter on carbon cycling processes in forest ecosystems.