In Jinyun Mountain of Chongqing, a comprehensive study was conducted on burned areas to analyze the water-holding capacity of forest land with measuring soil physicochemical properties and the water-holding capacity of litter. The research aimed to elucidate the effects of severe forest fire on the water-holding capacity of forest land and reveal the response mechanism of forest water-holding performance to forest fire. The findings revealed that: (1) In the severely burned area of Jinyun Mountain, the effective water holding capacity of the forest land decreased by 44.3%, while the maximum water holding rate of the forest land increased by 14.6%. The litter accumulation declined by 36.9%, yet the effective interception rate of litter rose by 13.6%. The average natural water content and saturated water content of the soil increased by 68.0 % and 15.9% respectively. (2) The physical and chemical properties of soil exhibited pronounced changes with increasing soil depth. After severe burning, the soil bulk density decreased by 15.3%, capillary porosity declined by 44.3%, total porosity increased by 14.7%, and soil organic matter rose by 48.2%. (3) The results of redundancy analysis indicated that soil bulk density, capillary porosity, and non-capillary porosity were the key factors affecting soil water-holding capacity, and the sum of the explanatory amounts accounted for by the three amounts to 83.1%. Fire disturbance, soil organic matter, and soil layer depth also exerted significant influences on the water-holding capacity of forest land. Soil water-holding capacity made the greatest contribution to the water-holding capacity of forest land. Soil bulk density and soil capillary porosity were the key factors affecting the water-holding capacity of forest land after severe fire. The research findings quantified the effects of severe fire on the water-holding capacity of forest land, which would offer a scientific basis for the subsequent formulation of forest land restoration and management strategies, and promote the sustainable development of the ecosystem.