As the economy develops rapidly and the population grows in the coastal areas of China,the region's water and energy demand has surged sharply,and the coastal areas are facing severe water and energy shortages. Considering water and energy as a intergrated system,it is of great significance to study the coupling of water and energy systems to formulate water-energy co-management policies and achieve regional sustainable development. At present,the research of water-energy system is becoming more comprehensive,but there are few researches on water-energy system coupling from the perspective of virtual water and embodied energy flow,combined with input-output analysis and coupling coordination degree model. In this paper,the flow of virtual water and embodied energy,the utilization efficiency of water and energy,and the pulling effect of water use and energy consumption are calculated with the help of input-output analysis. Next,water-energy system nexus is studied from the aspects of the relative coefficient and relative multiplier of water use and energy consumption,and analyzes the intensity of water-energy nexus of each sector relative to the overall level of coastal areas. Finally,considering the virtual water and embodied energy flow characteristics of each province and department in the coupling network,the coupling coordination degree model is used to measure the coupling coordination state of the water-energy system. The results show that: (1) The five provinces and cities with virtual water net inflow are also net inflow provinces with embodied energy,including Guangdong,Zhejiang,Tianjin,Shandong and Fujian,and Hainan is also a net inflow province with embodied energy. Agriculture and construction are the key sector of virtual water flow,and the construction industry is the key sector of embodied energy flow. Among the major energy sectors,coking (petroleum processing and coking) is a key area closely related to water use,according to the differences in energy consumption of water sector in different provinces, the government should take different measures. (2) The water production and supply sector in all provinces exhibits HwHe traits,indicating that conservation efforts for water and energy should be pursued concurrently during production. Meanwhile,sectors identified as HwLe and LwHe should prioritize water and energy conservation to mitigate resource strain. (3) The construction industry (SwSe),which has a much higher relative water and energy consumption multiplier than the average in coastal areas,shows strong water-energy nexus with other sectors,and is a key sector for water and energy conservation. (4) The coupling and coordination level of water-energy systems in various sectors in coastal areas is in a state of coordinated development,but there are certain differences in the coupling and coordinated development level of various sectors in combination with the division of water-energy use efficiency and pulling effect,and targeted measures need to be taken to coordinate the relationship between water and energy use,the pulling effect between sectors and the flow of virtual water and embodied energy. This paper aims to provide a reference for the formulation of water-energy co-management policies in coastal areas.