Abstract: The strength and deformation properties of tuff are significantly affected by water, and it is of great significance to studying and grasping its hydro-physical characteristics to evaluate the risk of instability of surrounding rock caused by the effect of water and propose targeted support measures.To this end, the research results related to tuff were collected and sorted, the proportion of main components of tuff, mesostructure and basic physical parameters were sorted out, the causes of the softening, expansion and disintegration of tuff were summarized, the concept and measures of disaster prevention and control of tunnel engineering of tuff strata were discussed.The results show that:(1) The hydro-physical characteristics of tuff are complex due to the differences in montmorillonite, illite and kaolinite content, pore structure and weathering erosion degree in tuff.(2) Physical and chemical effects are the main causes of tuff expansion, hydrolysis of soluble minerals, hydration reaction of clay minerals and ion exchange cause structural loss and disintegration of tuff.(3) Supporting, reinforcing and sealing water are effective measures for preventing and controlling the instability of surrounding rock in tuff strata.Finally, we propose the future research fields and corresponding engineering measures to be researched.