Abstract: Since 2002, the China Geological Survey has successively organized and implemented hydrogeological survey and groundwater exploration in water deficient areas, such as severe water shortage areas in west China, Wumeng Mountain area, Yimeng mountain area and red bed area in southern Jiangxi, obtained a large number of exploration data conducive to promoting discipline development, and summarized the law of water abundance. In recent decades, water prospecting and well drilling in bedrock mountainous areas serving poverty alleviation have not been systematically summarized based on water storage structures and their attributes. This paper takes the water storage structure as the theoretical guidance, considers geomorphic catchment, lithological water accumulation, structural water control and other control factors, and takes structure as the main control factor. The factors such as topography, formation lithology, vegetation development and actual value of development and utilization are systematically summarized and water storage structures are divided into 8 types, further divided into 20 types, and more into 35 types, such as the horizontal rock stratum, monocline formation, fold, fault, contact zone, weathered crust, composite and cave reservoir. The common characteristics of different scales and types of water storage structures are analyzed and summarized with reference to and in combination with the neotectonic water control theory and groundwater system theory. From the aspects of spatial combination characteristics of water storage structure, boundary hydrogeological properties, hydrodynamic conditions, scale effect, symbiotic characteristics of water control and practical value of development and utilization, this paper puts forward the correlation between the lithology and geological structure, the relativity of permeability and water separation, the balance between catchment and water storage, the unity of scale and system, the inheritance of formation and transformation and the matching of scale and purpose. The research results refine and improve the classification of groundwater storage structure types in bedrock mountain areas with water shortage, summarize the attribute characteristics of water storage structure, deepen the understanding of the concept and connotation of water storage structure, not only further promote the research of hydrogeology in bedrock mountain areas, but also provide references for water prospecting and well locating in water shortage areas, and guide the sustainable utilization of water resources in water shortage areas.