Anthropogenic activities over the last four decades have increased depositions of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by three to five fold in China, which resulted in a serious problem of acid rain with adverse effects on terrestrial carbon cycle. Soil respiration (Rs) as the second largest flux for the most terrestrial carbon cycle, and its two components (i.e., autotrophic respiration (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh)) are extremely sensitive to anthropogenic acid rain due to its detrimental effects on plant growth and soil microbes. Although numerous ecosystem-level manipulative experiments were conducted to explore the underlying mechanisms how acid rain affected Rs, a quantitative synthesis of previous studies on the effects of acid rain on Rs and its two components across different terrestrial ecosystems was scarce. By conducting a meta-analysis of 2683 observations from 81 independent experimental studies, we quantified the directions and magnitudes of the responses of Rs, Ra, and Rh to simulated acid rain (SAR) in three major terrestrial ecosystems (i.e., forest, grassland, farmland) in China. Across all the experimental studies, our results showed that SAR significantly reduced Rs (-9.6%), Rh (-11.7%) and Ra (-11.7%), and the degree of reduction was proportional to the pH of SAR. The negative effects of SAR on Rh and Ra were greater in field experiment than that in pot experiment due to the differences in the intensity of SAR and experimental duration. Among different terrestrial ecosystem types, the negative effect of SAR on Rs was the most negative in farmland ecosystems (-14.7%), followed by grassland (-10.8%) and forest (-8.0%) ecosystems. The responses of Rh and Ra to SAR in forest ecosystems were consistent with that of Rs, and there were no significant differences among different forest types (i.e., coniferous forest, coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest and broadleaved forest). In grassland ecosystems, the response to SAR was negative for Rh, but positive for Ra. Linear-regression analysis showed that Rs and Rh were positively correlated with soil pH, but negatively correlated with soil organic carbon (SOC). Rh and Ra were positively correlated with aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB), respectively. Meta-regression analysis indicated that the negative effects of SAR on Rs and Ra were decreased with the increase of latitude, and increased with the increase of mean annual temperature (MAT), whereas the positive effect of SAR on Rs increased with a decrease in mean annual precipitation (MAP). Based on this meta-analysis, we found that SAR not only reduced soil pH, inhibited plant growth, and thus reduced plant carbon input to soil, but also inhibited microbial activities, reduced Rh, and SOC decomposition rate. Therefore, anthropogenic acid rain significantly altered the input and output of SOC, but did not significantly change the content of SOC in terrestrial ecosystems. These results will provide scientific basis for assessing the carbon budget of the Chinese terrestrial ecosystems in response to global change.