There are many physical factors affecting the development of cartilage tissue,the mechanical con-dition is the main important one that particularly act.The mechanical conditions used in engineering cartilage tissue,such as compressive and shear force,fluid flow,hydrostatic pressure and tissue deformation or with some of them combined,were reviewed.From the standpoint of bionics,the mechanical environments ap-plied on tissue engineering should work in three aspects:providing adequately mechanical stimuli to the cells seeded in 3-D scaffold;ensuring the efficient mass-transport of the nutrients and waste products in the cells:promoting the development of functionally extracellular matrix in 3-D scaffold.The mechanical environments currently used only represented the part of mechanical conditions of in vive articular cartilage will be reviewed.In our view that rolling depression load may achieve the fit mechanical environment for cultivation of functional cartilage constructs in vitro.