[Objective] To research the rainfall-runoff-sediment change in the tributary of the Yellow river for revealing the causes of Yellow River's water and sediment variation. [Methods] Based on the data of 115 rainfall events during 1985-2010 in Gushanchuan river basin, the temporal variations of rainfall-runoff-sediment relationships was analyzed by using the runoff coefficient, sediment coefficient and elasticity coefficient. [Results] (1) The short-duration, low-intensity and long-duration, moderate-intensity rainfall events were the primary types in 1990s and 2000s compared to 1980s, respectively. Specially, the capacities of rainfall producing runoff and sediment reduced obviously in 2000s, the runoff coefficient and sediment coefficient in 2000s were accounting for about 50% and 23% of that in 1980s. (2) The rainfall-runoff elasticity coefficient and rainfall-sediment elasticity coefficient were 0.13 and 4.21 during the period from 1980s to 1990s, and were 1.73 and 6.19 during the period from 1980s to 2000s, respectively. (3) The correlation between runoff coefficient and the proportion of forest and grass, vegetation coverage, proportion of terrace, proportion of key dam controlling area was -0.662 3, -0.911 4,-0.801 0,-0.821 4, respectively, meanwhile, the correlation between sediment coefficient and the proportion of forest and grass, vegetation coverage, proportion of terrace, proportion of key dam controlling area was -0.887 7, -0.998 5, -0.962 9, -0.971 7, respectively. [Conclusion] The rainfall-runoff-sediment relationship has been changed significantly since 1980s, especially after the year 2000, the influence of rainfall intensity on capacity of rainfall producing sediment is more sensitive than that on capacity of rainfall producing runoff, and the vegetation coverage variation is the major factor which affects the capacities of rainfall producing runoff and sediment in Gushanchuan river basin.