Abstract: The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a highly specialized bamboo-feeding herbivore. Previous reviews have primarily approached the subject from the perspectives of habitat vegetation or bamboo ecology when examining food resources for giant pandas. Few studies have treated staple bamboo as an independent resource system with functional attributes. This paper introduces the core concept of the "staple-bamboo system". The review is structured around five interrelated themes: the resource attributes of bamboo, the staple food of giant pandas, the selection and utilization mechanisms of bamboo by giant pandas, the supply maintenance and destabilization process of the staple-bamboo system, the impact of global change and human disturbance risks on the staple-bamboo system, and the implications for restoration of habitats. Through a comprehensive analysis, several novel insights emerge that diverge from conventional understanding. The species composition of staple bamboo across different mountain ranges and the replacement relationships among these species fundamentally determine the spatiotemporal continuity of food supply for giant pandas. Beyond species composition, microenvironmental factors, particularly altitude, canopy closure, and light penetration level, continuously modulate the nutritional quality of edible bamboo parts. The giant panda′s consumption of bamboo stems, leaves and stems is jointly governed by four interactions: digestive restriction, nutrient acquisition, secondary metabolite profile and seasonal physiological requirements. In heterogeneous understory habitats, the persistence of edible bamboo populations relies heavily on clonal integration, whereby physiological connections between ramets enable resource sharing and facilitate compensatory regrowth following disturbance. This mechanism underpins the resilience of the staple-bamboo system, but it is not infinite. Compensatory growth can confer a degree of resistance to moderate harvesting or browsing, but this effect operates within explicit threshold limits. Once disturbance intensity or frequency surpasses this threshold, bamboo regeneration capacity collapses, leading to rapid stand degradation. This study finds that climate warming, livestock grazing, excessive bamboo shoot harvesting, and canopy fragmentation do not act independently. They weaken the staple-bamboo system through multiple synergistic pathways. Traditional habitat restoration efforts have tended to emphasize increasing overall bamboo cover or replanting bamboo in degraded areas. The analysis suggests that conservation priorities should shift from expanding bamboo cover area toward reconstructing high-quality staple-bamboo systems. Finally, this paper identifies critical gaps in the current chain of evidence and proposes priority directions for future research. In summary, this study aims to provide a scientific basis for the systematic conservation of staple-bamboo resources, bamboo resource management, and habitat restoration within the Giant Panda National Park and other giant panda nature reserves.