The paper explores the influence of German academic traditions on Li Chunyu’s research in structural geology from the perspective of the history of science. The research indicates that Germany‘s tradition of regional geological survey and Hans Stille’s tectonic cycle theory prompted Li Chunyu to innovatively apply three-dimensional structural analysis and spatio-temporal evolution reconstruction methods in his doctoral dissertation, reinterpreting the structural pattern of the Hercynian orogenic belt and attracting attention in the German geological community. This paper focuses on Li Chunyu‘s academic experience during his study in Germany (1934-1937), systematically combs the knowledge genealogy of his academic thought formation, and reveals how the German academic tradition was internalized into Li Chunyu’s academic competence through specific research practices, laying the methodological foundation for his later proposal of the “Sichuan Movement” concept and advocacy of plate tectonics research after returning to China.