Abstract: Bending-toppling failure is a deformation mode of steeply dipping stratified rock slopes.When its fracture surface penetrates to form a slip surface, the slope evolves into a landslide.Taking the Lanlingxi Landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir area as an example, the inverse stress method and beam-slab strength theory were introduced to study the landslide deformation mode and evolution process.The results show that:(1) The rocky slope has the typical characteristics of steeply dipping stratified layer and hard-soft-integrated rock structure, which provides innate conditions for the occurrence of bending-toppling failure.(2) Differential weathering is the main reason for the bending-toppling deformation of the Lanlingxi Landslide.The bending strength of the lamellar gneiss is weak, which contributes to the gradual bending of the gneiss, and finally, the bending-fracture-toppling deformation failure happens.(3) Lanlingxi Landslide evolution process had gone through the differential weathering stage, gneiss bending and deformation stage, gneiss toppling deformation and destruction stage, fracture surface penetration, etc.When all the fracture surfaces penetrated to form potential slip surfaces, the slope evolved into a landslide.The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the engineering management of this landslide, and can also provide new ideas for the management of the same type of rocky slopes.